Elasticity of cardiac cells on the polymer substrates with different stiffness: an atomic force microscopy study

• Published in: Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP Vol. 13; no. 16; pp. 7540 - 7545
• Main Authors: Shi, Xiaoli, Qin, Lei, Zhang, Xuejie, He, Kangmin, Xiong, Chunyang, Fang, Jing, Fang, Xiaohong, Zhang, Youyi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 28.04.2011
• Subjects: Acrylic Resins - chemistry; Actin Cytoskeleton - chemistry; Animals; Cells, Cultured; Chemistry; Collagen - chemistry; Elasticity; Exact sciences and technology; Fibroblasts - cytology; General and physical chemistry; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Myocytes, Cardiac - cytology; Polymers - chemistry; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Substrate; Atomic force microscopy; Elastic modulus; Gradient; Filament; Collagen; Elasticity; Mechanical properties; Acrylamide polymer; Polymer
• ISSN: 1463-9076; 1463-9084
• DOI: 10.1039/c1cp20154a

Influences of substrate stiffness on mechanical properties of cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts were investigated by cell elasticity measurement with atomic force microscopy. The cells were cultured on collagen-coated polyacrylamide substrates with gradient rigidity. While cardiac myocytes showed no evident change in cell elasticity on different substrates, cardiac fibroblasts displayed the non-monotonic dependence on substrate stiffness with a maximum elastic modulus. Moreover, the elasticity change of cardiac fibroblasts with substrates stiffness was found to be regulated by actin filaments. Study of the effect of substrate stiffness on cell elasticity for different cardiac cells provides new information for the better understanding of cardiac physiology and pathology.