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Title: Characterization of the mechanical properties of HL-1 cardiomyocytes with high throughput magnetic tweezers

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4928322· OSTI ID:22489072
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Institute of Bioelectronics (ICS-8/PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany)

We characterized the mechanical properties of cardiomyocyte-like HL-1 cells using our recently developed multi-pole magnetic tweezers. With the optimized design, both high force and high throughput are achieved at the same time. Force up to 100 pN can be applied on a 1 μm diameter superparamagnetic bead in a workspace with 60 μm radius, which is encircled symmetrically by 3 sharp magnetic tips. By adjusting the coil currents, both the strength and direction of force can be controlled. The result shows that both viscosity and shear elastic modulus of HL-1 cells exhibit an approximately log-normal distribution. The cells became stiffer as they matured, consistent with a transition from proliferating cells to contractile muscle tissue. Moreover, the mechanical properties of HL-1 cells show high heterogeneity, which agrees well with their physiological structure.

OSTI ID:
22489072
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English