A power-law rheology-based finite element model for single cell deformation

作者：Zhou E H^*; Xu F; Quek S T; Lim C T

来源：Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 2012, 11(7): 1075-1084.

DOI：10.1007/s10237-012-0374-y

• Cell mechanics
• Soft glassy rheology
• Finite element analysis
• Mechanotransduction
• Cell injury

Physical forces can elicit complex time- and space-dependent deformations in living cells. These deformations at the subcellular level are difficult to measure but can be estimated using computational approaches such as finite element (FE) simulation. Existing FE models predominantly treat cells as spring-dashpot viscoelastic materials, while broad experimental data are now lending support to the power-law rheology (PLR) model. Here, we developed a large deformation FE model that incorporated PLR and experimentally verified this model by performing micropipette aspiration on fibroblasts under various mechanical loadings. With a single set of rheological properties, this model recapitulated the diverse micropipette aspiration data obtained using three protocols and with a range of micropipette sizes. More intriguingly, our analysis revealed that decreased pipette size leads to increased pressure gradient, potentially explaining our previous counterintuitive finding that decreased pipette size leads to increased incidence of cell blebbing and injury. Taken together, our work leads to more accurate rheological interpretation of micropipette aspiration experiments than previous models and suggests pressure gradient as a potential determinant of cell injury.

• 出版日期2012-9
• 单位西安交通大学