A comparative study of living cell micromechanical properties by oscillatory optical tweezers

Opt Express. 2008 Jun 9;16(12):8594-603. doi: 10.1364/oe.16.008594.

Abstract

Micromechanical properties of biological cells are crucial for cells functions. Despite extensive study by a variety of approaches, an understanding of the subject remains elusive. We conducted a comparative study of the micromechanical properties of cultured alveolar epithelial cells with an oscillatory optical tweezer-based cytorheometer. In this study, the frequency-dependent viscoelasticity of these cells was measured by optical trapping and forced oscillation of either a submicron endogenous intracellular organelle (intra-cellular) or a 1.5microm silica bead attached to the cytoskeleton through trans-membrane integrin receptors (extra-cellular). Both the storage modulus and the magnitude of the complex shear modulus followed weak power-law dependence with frequency. These data are comparable to data obtained by other measurement techniques. The exponents of power-law dependence of the data from the intra- and extra- cellular measurements are similar; however, the differences in the magnitudes of the moduli from the two measurements are statistically significant.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Cell Movement / physiology
  • Elasticity
  • Epithelial Cells / physiology*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Humans
  • Mechanotransduction, Cellular / physiology*
  • Optical Tweezers*
  • Oscillometry / instrumentation*
  • Stress, Mechanical