Cellular mechanical properties in response to environmental viscosity imaged by Brillouin Microscopy.

ABSTRACT: An increasing body of research in biomechanics has revealed that the stiffness of the surrounding environment influences cells fate and function. In this context, a recent study showed that cells exposed to highly viscous fluids migrated and spread faster: the viscosity of the surrounding environment thus emerges as a novel potential regulator of key cell functions. To date, however, cellular mechanical responses to this biophysical trigger are widely unconsidered. In this study, we evaluate the mechanical properties of non-cancerous (MCF10A) and highly metastatic cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells grown in fluids of different viscosities by using our custom-built Brillouin Microscope. To achieve this result, we prove that the linewidth of a Brillouin spectrum can serve as a reliable viscosity indi

SUBMITTER: Handler C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12644817 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature