Dilational rheology of serum albumin and blood serum solutions as studied by oscillating drop tensiometry.

Oscillating drop experiments with a drop profile analysis tensiometer provide the dilational elasticity and viscosity of surface layer. Model experiments for blood serum, composed of HSA and the non-ionic surfactant C(14)EO(8), are used to demonstrate the theoretical approach for calculating the visco-elasticity of mixed adsorption layers from the adsorption characteristics of the single components. Experiments with real serum samples taken from patients choledocholithiasis-based benign obstructive jaundice before and after re-canalisation of the biliary tract demonstrate that the visco-elasticity of the respective adsorption layers is very sensitive of the successful surgery.