TY - JOUR
T1 - Probing Local Force Propagation in Tensed Fibrous Gels
AU - Goren, Shahar
AU - Levin, Maayan
AU - Brand, Guy
AU - Lesman, Ayelet
AU - Sorkin, Raya
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2023/1/25
Y1 - 2023/1/25
N2 - Fibrous hydrogels are a key component of soft animal tissues. They support cellular functions and facilitate efficient mechanical communication between cells. Due to their nonlinear mechanical properties, fibrous materials display non-trivial force propagation at the microscale, that is enhanced compared to that of linear-elastic materials. In the body, tissues are constantly subjected to external loads that tense or compress them, modifying their micro-mechanical properties into an anisotropic state. However, it is unknown how force propagation is modified by this isotropic-to-anisotropic transition. Here, force propagation in tensed fibrin hydrogels is directly measured. Local perturbations are induced by oscillating microspheres using optical tweezers. 1-point and 2-point microrheology are combined to simultaneously measure the shear modulus and force propagation. A mathematical framework to quantify anisotropic force propagation trends is suggested. Results show that force propagation becomes anisotropic in tensed gels, with, surprisingly, stronger response to perturbations perpendicular to the axis of tension. Importantly, external tension can also increase the range of force transmission. Possible implications and future directions for research are discussed. These results suggest a mechanism for favored directions of mechanical communication between cells in a tissue under external loads.
AB - Fibrous hydrogels are a key component of soft animal tissues. They support cellular functions and facilitate efficient mechanical communication between cells. Due to their nonlinear mechanical properties, fibrous materials display non-trivial force propagation at the microscale, that is enhanced compared to that of linear-elastic materials. In the body, tissues are constantly subjected to external loads that tense or compress them, modifying their micro-mechanical properties into an anisotropic state. However, it is unknown how force propagation is modified by this isotropic-to-anisotropic transition. Here, force propagation in tensed fibrin hydrogels is directly measured. Local perturbations are induced by oscillating microspheres using optical tweezers. 1-point and 2-point microrheology are combined to simultaneously measure the shear modulus and force propagation. A mathematical framework to quantify anisotropic force propagation trends is suggested. Results show that force propagation becomes anisotropic in tensed gels, with, surprisingly, stronger response to perturbations perpendicular to the axis of tension. Importantly, external tension can also increase the range of force transmission. Possible implications and future directions for research are discussed. These results suggest a mechanism for favored directions of mechanical communication between cells in a tissue under external loads.
KW - fibrin
KW - force propagation
KW - mechanical cell communication
KW - microrheology
KW - tension
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142705733&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/smll.202202573
DO - 10.1002/smll.202202573
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C2 - 36433830
AN - SCOPUS:85142705733
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 19
JO - Small
JF - Small
IS - 4
M1 - 2202573
ER -