Li Mi, Dang Dan, Liu Lianqing, Xi Ning, Wang Yuechao
IEEE Trans Nanobioscience. 2017 Sep;16(6):523-540. doi: 10.1109/TNB.2017.2714462. Epub 2017 Jun 9.
Cell mechanics is a novel label-free biomarker for indicating cell states and pathological changes. The advent of atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides a powerful tool for quantifying the mechanical properties of single living cells in aqueous conditions. The wide use of AFM in characterizing cell mechanics in the past two decades has yielded remarkable novel insights in understanding the development and progression of certain diseases, such as cancer, showing the huge potential of cell mechanics for practical applications in the field of biomedicine. In this paper, we reviewed the utilization of AFM to characterize cell mechanics. First, the principle and method of AFM single-cell mechanical analysis was presented, along with the mechanical responses of cells to representative external stimuli measured by AFM. Next, the unique changes of cell mechanics in two types of physiological processes (stem cell differentiation, cancer metastasis) revealed by AFM were summarized. After that, the molecular mechanisms guiding cell mechanics were analyzed. Finally the challenges and future directions were discussed.
细胞力学是一种用于指示细胞状态和病理变化的新型无标记生物标志物。原子力显微镜（AFM）的出现为在水性条件下量化单个活细胞的力学性质提供了强大工具。在过去二十年中，AFM在表征细胞力学方面的广泛应用在理解某些疾病（如癌症）的发展和进展方面产生了显著的新见解，显示出细胞力学在生物医学领域实际应用的巨大潜力。在本文中，我们综述了AFM在表征细胞力学方面的应用。首先，介绍了AFM单细胞力学分析的原理和方法，以及通过AFM测量的细胞对代表性外部刺激的力学响应。接下来，总结了AFM揭示的两种生理过程（干细胞分化、癌症转移）中细胞力学的独特变化。之后，分析了指导细胞力学的分子机制。最后讨论了挑战和未来方向。
