Complex dynamics of a bilamellar vesicle as a simple model for leukocytes

The influence of the internal structure of a biological cell (e.g., a leukocyte) on its dynamics and rheology is not yet fully understood. By using 2D numerical simulations of a bilamellar vesicle (BLV) consisting of two vesicles as a cell model, we find that increasing the size of the inner vesicle (mimicking the nucleus) triggers a tank-treading-to-tumbling transition. A new dynamical state is observed, the undulating motion: the BLV inclination with respect to the imposed flow oscillates while the outer vesicle develops rotating lobes. The BLV exhibits a non-Newtonian behavior with a time-dependent apparent viscosity during its unsteady motion. Depending on its inclination and on its inner vesicle dynamical state, the BLV behaves like a solid or a liquid.