Biomechanical Heterogeneity of Living Cells: Comparison between Atomic Force Microscopy and Finite Element Simulation

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b02211
• Publication Date: 2018-10-01T16:41:58Z
• Authors: Guanlin Tang; Massimiliano Gall...; Bokai Zhang; Yu-Lin Shen; Florian J. Stadler
• Keywords: Indentation; Hyperelastic material

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation is a popular method for characterizing the micromechanical properties of soft materials such as living cells. However, mechanical data obtained from deep measurements can be difficult and problematic to interpret result complex geometry cell, nonlinearity contact, constitutive relations heterogeneous hyperelastic components. Living MDA-MB-231 cells were indented by spherical probes obtain morphological that adopted build an accurate finite element model (FEM) parametric study. Initially, 2D-axisymmetric numerical was constructed with main purpose understanding effect geometrical parts cell body, nucleus, lamellipodium. A series FEM deformation fields directly compared atomic spectroscopy in order resolve convolution quantify Young's modulus nuclei. Furthermore, 3D investigate events located far axisymmetric geometry. In this framework, joint FEM/AFM approach has provided useful methodology comprehensive characterization structure cells, emphasizing deconvolution true elastic nucleus.