Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Molecular Biological-Biochemical Processing Technology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Med Biol Eng Comput. 2010 Jan;48(1):59-65. doi: 10.1007/s11517-009-0552-y. Epub 2009 Nov 19.
The CellDrum technology (The term 'CellDrum technology' includes a couple of slightly different technological setups for measuring lateral mechanical tension in various types of cell monolayers or 3D-tissue constructs) was designed to quantify the contraction rate and mechanical tension of self-exciting cardiac myocytes. Cells were grown either within flexible, circular collagen gels or as monolayer on top of respective 1-mum thin silicone membranes. Membrane and cells were bulged outwards by air pressure. This biaxial strain distribution is rather similar the beating, blood-filled heart. The setup allowed presetting the mechanical residual stress level externally by adjusting the centre deflection, thus, mimicking hypertension in vitro. Tension was measured as oscillating differential pressure change between chamber and environment. A 0.5-mm thick collagen-cardiac myocyte tissue construct induced after 2 days of culturing (initial cell density 2 x 10(4) cells/ml), a mechanical tension of 1.62 +/- 0.17 microN/mm(2). Mechanical load is an important growth regulator in the developing heart, and the orientation and alignment of cardiomyocytes is stress sensitive. Therefore, it was necessary to develop the CellDrum technology with its biaxial stress-strain distribution and defined mechanical boundary conditions. Cells were exposed to strain in two directions, radially and circumferentially, which is similar to biaxial loading in real heart tissues. Thus, from a biomechanical point of view, the system is preferable to previous setups based on uniaxial stretching.
CellDrum 技术（术语“CellDrum 技术”包括几种略有不同的技术设置，用于测量各种类型的细胞单层或 3D 组织构建体的侧向机械张力）旨在量化自激心肌细胞的收缩率和机械张力。细胞要么生长在柔性圆形胶原凝胶中，要么作为单层生长在各自 1 微米薄的硅树脂膜上。通过气压使膜和细胞向外鼓起。这种双轴应变分布与跳动的充满血液的心脏非常相似。该设置允许通过调整中心挠度从外部预设机械残余应力水平，从而在体外模拟高血压。张力作为腔室和环境之间的振荡差分压力变化来测量。在培养 2 天后诱导的 0.5 毫米厚的胶原心肌细胞组织构建体（初始细胞密度为 2 x 10(4)个细胞/ml）产生 1.62 +/- 0.17 microN/mm(2)的机械张力。机械负荷是发育中心脏的重要生长调节剂，并且心肌细胞的取向和排列对张力敏感。因此，有必要开发具有双轴应力-应变分布和定义的机械边界条件的 CellDrum 技术。细胞在两个方向上，即径向和周向受到应变，这类似于真实心脏组织中的双轴加载。因此，从生物力学的角度来看，该系统优于以前基于单轴拉伸的设置。
