Résumé
The mucociliary function of the bronchial epithelium ensures the continuous clearance of the respiratory system. This function relies on two main elements: the mucus properties and the cilia beating coordination. First, we perform a rheological characterization of mucus samples extracted from ALI (Air-liquid interface) cultures of bronchial epithelium. Our approach combines macro- and micro-rheology techniques with the aim of quantifying the mucus viscoelastic properties at different length scales (from the size of bronchial cilia up to the scale on which mucus is transported). Secondly, we analyze the ciliary activity of these epithelia of ALI cultures by images processing and data analysis on videomicroscopies of the epithelium. These methodologies allow us to understand the coupling between the mucus and the cilia coordination and to compare samples corresponding to different pathologies.