Determination of mechanical properties of chondrocytes in articular cartilage using atomic force microscopy

• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based nanoindentation is a widely used technique for measuring mechanical properties of living cells, providing information for understanding their mechanobiological behavior. However, very local properties of cell surfaces have not been characterized earlier. The goal of this study was to develop an AFM-based technique to determine local elastic properties of bovine articular chondrocytes. The Youngs modulus of chondrocytes was 19.3 ± 5.6 kPa for spread cells and 10 ± 4.1 kPa for the round cells. The results were compared to previous studies in which different techniques were used to obtain more global properties of chondrocytes. Our findings suggest that using nanosized AFM tips, the very local cell properties can be measured.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Cell- och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Cell and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

articular cartilage

atomic force microscopy

cell mechanics

chondrocyte

nanoindentation

biomechanics

biomekanik

cell research

cellforskning

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