Effects of Substrate Stiffness on Neutrophil Adhesion over L-selectin Coated Endothelial

Abstract

Rolling of a cell under a hydrodynamic flow like the blood flow and the mechanism for the adhesion of a cell to the blood vessel is one of the fundamental process in many pathological and biological processes. An important example of these processes is inflammatory response and moving of the leukocytes to the sites of inflammation. While the blood-borne cells travel with the blood flow, they can interact with the inner endothelium's wall, which is composed of a soft layer of endothelial cells. Not until recently, the effect of endothelial stiffness was poorly understood. Recent in-vitro and computational models, like modified Adhesive Dynamics, have shown that the elasticity of the underlying substrate can alter the rolling and adhesion of a cell. In this study, we investigate the effects of the substrate stiffness on the rolling and adhesion of a cell with neutrophil ligands by using the Adhesive Dynamic simulation. The vessel is modeled as an elastic surface coated with L-selectin molecules, which can form bonds with the ligands. In our simulation, the Young modulus of the surface ranges between 5 to 80 kPa. The results show that the softer substrate helps to capture the cell with neutrophil ligands. These results help us to understand how the state of adhesion changes for the neutrophil adhesion over L-selectin.