Figure 9
Rheological analysis of human tracheobronchial epithelial (HBE) secretions before and after the disruption of the protein–protein interactions: the HBE secretions were diluted so that all of the experiments had the same biomolecular concentration. The experiments were performed in a ramp-down manner starting at the highest shear stress and moving to the lowest. The data indicate that chaotropic agents and detergents significantly reduced the viscosity and abolished of the network viscoelasticity. GuHCl at 2 M caused a significant reduction in viscosity, whereas 0.1% detergent reduced the viscosity dramatically. The viscosity of water was also included (closed circles).
