Amplitude-Modulated Electrodeformation to Evaluate Mechanical Fatigue of Biological Cells

Darryl Dieujuste; Adeleh Kazemi Alamouti; Hongyuan Xu; E Du

doi:10.3791/65897

Journal

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Bioengineering

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Amplitude-Modulated Electrodeformation to Evaluate Mechanical Fatigue of Biological Cells

JoVE Journal
Bioengineering

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JoVE Journal Bioengineering

Amplitude-Modulated Electrodeformation to Evaluate Mechanical Fatigue of Biological Cells

1,381 Views

•

09:45 min

•

October 13, 2023

DOI:

10.3791/65897-v

DOI:

10.3791/65897-v

•

09:45 min

October 13, 2023

•

4 Views

Darryl Dieujuste¹, Adeleh Kazemi Alamouti¹, Hongyuan Xu¹, E Du^1,2

¹Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering,Florida Atlantic University, ²Center for SMART Health,Florida Atlantic University

Transcript

Our research is focused on the study of cell biomechanics of circulating cells, such as human red blood cells. We leverage electrokinetics, microfluidics, and material science to understand the mechanical origins of damage in cell membranes, as well as the mechanisms underlying the shortened lifespan of blood cells in certain diseases. Fatigue study of biological cells is challenging.

It request application of cyclic loads to cell membranes and tracking the deformation in individual cells. Using amplitude sheet key for ASK to modulate electrode deformation behavior of red blood cells, we could quantify how cell deformability changes aligned with the loading cycles. We demonstrated for the first time that red blood cells’membranes can be degraded by cyclic stretching alone.

Our protocol utilizes dielectrophoresis to move cells to the electrode edges for electrode deformation measurement. It does not require any stabilization technique and can be used for cell suspension directly. Using interdigitated microelectrodes allows us to measure tens of cells in a single field of view.

Summary

Presented here is a protocol for mechanical fatigue testing in the case of human red blood cells using an amplitude-modulated electrodeformation approach. This general approach can be used to measure the systematic changes in morphological and biomechanical characteristics of biological cells in a suspension from cyclic deformation.