Journal
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
Volume 39, Issue 2, Pages 293-301Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2004.11.019
Keywords
cellular biomechanics; mechanical properties; micromanipulation; normalized stiffness; in-process observation
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Tensile properties and actin filament distribution of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were measured in the same cells to correlate the mechanical properties of cells with their cytoskeleton. The cells freshly isolated from rat thoracic aorta with enzymatic dispersion (FSMCs), cultured cells (CSMCs), and CSMCs treated with cytochalasin D to disrupt their actin filaments (CSMCs-CYD) were stretched in a Ca2+-Mg2+-free Hank's balanced salt solution at 37 degrees C with an originally designed micro tensile tester. Some of CSMCs and CSMCs-CYD were fixed and stained with rhodamine phalloidin for actin filament after the tensile test while they remained attached to the tester. The force-elongation curves were almost linear for all of the three groups. Normalized stiffness E-all obtained from the slope of the curves was significantly different among groups and was 11.0 +/- 1.9 kPa (mean +/- SEM, n = 8), 2.6 +/- 0.5 kPa (n = 21), 1.5 +/- 0.2 kPa (n = 13), for FSMCs, CSMCs, and CSMCs-CYD, respectively. Relative concentration of the actin filament in the central region of the cell F has significant positive correlation with E-all both for CSMCs and CSMCs-CYD. The slope of the regression line Delta E-all/Delta F was much higher in the CSMCs than in the CSMCs-CYD. These results indicate that elastic properties of smooth muscle cells may be affected not only by the amount of their actin filaments, but also by their organization and distribution in cells. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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