Characterization of biomechanical properties of cells through dielectrophoresis-based cell stretching and actin cytoskeleton modeling

Abstract

BackgroundCytoskeleton is a highly dynamic network that helps to maintain the rigidity of a cell, and the mechanical properties of a cell are closely related to many cellular functions. This paper presents a new method to probe and characterize cell mechanical properties through dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based cell stretching manipulation and actin cytoskeleton modeling.MethodsLeukemia NB4 cells were used as cell line, and changes in their biological properties were examined after chemotherapy treatment with doxorubicin (DOX). DEP-integrated microfluidic chip was utilized as a low-cost and efficient tool to study the deformability of cells. DEP forces used in cell stretching were first evaluated through computer simulation, and the results were compared with modeling equations and with the results of optical stretching (OT) experiments. Structural parameters were then extracted by fitting the experimental data into the actin cytoskeleton model, and the underlying mechanical properties of the cells were subsequently characterized.ResultsThe DEP forces generated under different voltage inputs were calculated and the results from different approaches demonstrate good approximations to the force estimation. Both DEP and OT stretching experiments confirmed that DOX-treated NB4 cells were stiffer than the untreated cells. The structural parameters extracted from the model and the confocal images indicated significant change in actin network after DOX treatment.ConclusionThe proposed DEP method combined with actin cytoskeleton modeling is a simple engineering tool to characterize the mechanical properties of cells.

The Influence of the Golden Ratio on the Erythrocyte

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Examination of the relationship between viscoelastic properties and the invasion of ovarian cancer cells by atomic force microscopy

“…The present investigations in- For understanding the molecular mechanism regulating the relationship between the viscoelastic and tumorigenic properties in viscoelastic properties of highly invasive cancer cells could be associated with a difference in the F-actin cytoskeleton [64,65]. Each of these tumorigenic transformation processes is regulated by the dynamic biomechanical behavior of the F-actin cytoskeleton within the examined ovarian cells, and the possible underlying mechanical properties were subsequently characterized [66,67].…”

Active Particle Based Selective Transport and Release of Cell Organelles and Mechanical Probing of a Single Nucleus

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