Aspiration of biological viscoelastic drops

Spherical cellular aggregates are in vitro systems to study the physical and biophysical properties of tissues. We present a novel approach to characterize the mechanical properties of cellular aggregates using micropipette aspiration technique. We observe an aspiration in two distinct regimes, a fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2010-03
Main Authors: Guevorkian, Karine, Colbert, Marie-Josée, Durth, Mélanie, Dufour, Sylvie, Brochard-Wyart, Françoise
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregates
Elastic deformation
Mechanical properties
Modulus of elasticity
Surface tension
Viscoelasticity
Viscosity
Viscous flow
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Spherical cellular aggregates are in vitro systems to study the physical and biophysical properties of tissues. We present a novel approach to characterize the mechanical properties of cellular aggregates using micropipette aspiration technique. We observe an aspiration in two distinct regimes, a fast elastic deformation followed by a viscous flow. We develop a model based on this viscoelastic behavior to deduce the surface tension, viscosity, and elastic modulus. A major result is the increase of the surface tension with the applied force, interpreted as an effect of cellular mechanosensing.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1003.4372