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Xiao R, Zhang Y, Li M. Automated High-Throughput Atomic Force Microscopy Single-Cell Nanomechanical Assay Enabled by Deep Learning-Based Optical Image Recognition. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:12323-12332. [PMID: 39302697 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Mechanical forces are essential for life activities, and the mechanical phenotypes of single cells are increasingly gaining attention. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been a standard method for single-cell nanomechanical assays, but its efficiency is limited due to its reliance on manual operation. Here, we present a study of deep learning image recognition-assisted AFM that enables automated high-throughput single-cell nanomechanical measurements. On the basis of the label-free identification of the cell structures and the AFM probe in optical bright-field images as well as the consequent automated movement of the sample stage and AFM probe, the AFM probe tip could be accurately and sequentially moved onto the specific parts of individual living cells to perform a single-cell indentation assay or single-cell force spectroscopy in a time-efficient manner. The study illustrates a promising method based on deep learning for achieving operator-independent high-throughput AFM single-cell nanomechanics, which will benefit the application of AFM in mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiao
- School of Automation and Electrical Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159, China
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Yanzhu Zhang
- School of Automation and Electrical Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159, China
| | - Mi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
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2
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Koruk H, Rajagopal S. A Comprehensive Review on the Viscoelastic Parameters Used for Engineering Materials, Including Soft Materials, and the Relationships between Different Damping Parameters. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 24:6137. [PMID: 39338881 PMCID: PMC11435754 DOI: 10.3390/s24186137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2024] [Revised: 09/12/2024] [Accepted: 09/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
Although the physical properties of a structure, such as stiffness, can be determined using some statical tests, the identification of damping parameters requires a dynamic test. In general, both theoretical prediction and experimental identification of damping are quite difficult. There are many different techniques available for damping identification, and each method gives a different damping parameter. The dynamic indentation method, rheometry, atomic force microscopy, and resonant vibration tests are commonly used to identify the damping of materials, including soft materials. While the viscous damping ratio, loss factor, complex modulus, and viscosity are quite common to describe the damping of materials, there are also other parameters, such as the specific damping capacity, loss angle, half-power bandwidth, and logarithmic decrement, to describe the damping of various materials. Often, one of these parameters is measured, and the measured parameter needs to be converted into another damping parameter for comparison purposes. In this review, the theoretical derivations of different parameters for the description and quantification of damping and their relationships are presented. The expressions for both high damping and low damping are included and evaluated. This study is considered as the first comprehensive review article presenting the theoretical derivations of a large number of damping parameters and the relationships among many damping parameters, with a quantitative evaluation of accurate and approximate formulas. This paper could be a primary resource for damping research and teaching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Koruk
- Ultrasound and Underwater Acoustics Group, Department of Medical, Marine and Nuclear, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK;
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3
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Sitthisang S, Hou X, Treetong A, Xu X, Liu W, He C, Sae-Ueng U, Yodmuang S. Nanomechanical mapping of PLA hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds links surface homogeneity to stem cell differentiation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21097. [PMID: 39256445 PMCID: PMC11387746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72073-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Polymer composite scaffolds hold promise in bone tissue engineering due to their biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and reproducibility. Among these materials, polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastics has gained attention for its processability characteristics. However, a deeper understanding of how PLA scaffold surface properties influence cell behavior is enssential for advancing its applications. In this study, 3D-printed PLA scaffolds containing hydroxyapatite (HA) were analyzed using atomic force microscopy and nanomechanical mapping. The addition of HA significantly increased key surface properties compared to unmodified PLA scaffols. Notably, the HA-modified scaffold demonstrated Gaussian distribution of stiffness and adhesive forces, in contrast to the bimodal properties observed in the unmodified PLA scaffolds. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hADMSC) seeded on the 3D-printed PLA scaffolds blended with 10% HA (P10) exhibited strong attachment. After four weeks, osteogenic differentiation of hADMSCs was detected, with calcium deposition reaching 6.76% ± 0.12. These results suggest that specific ranges of stiffness and adhesive forces of the composite scaffold can support cell attachement, and mineralization. The study highlights that tailoring suface properties of composite scaffolds is crucial for modulating cellular interactions, thus advancing the development of effective bone replacement materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonthikan Sitthisang
- Research Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Xunan Hou
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Alongkot Treetong
- National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Weilin Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Chaobin He
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore.
- Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
| | - Udom Sae-Ueng
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Supansa Yodmuang
- Research Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Center of Excellence in Biomaterial Engineering in Medical and Health, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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Dong L, Li L, Chen H, Cao Y, Lei H. Mechanochemistry: Fundamental Principles and Applications. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2403949. [PMID: 39206931 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202403949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Mechanochemistry is an emerging research field at the interface of physics, mechanics, materials science, and chemistry. Complementary to traditional activation methods in chemistry, such as heat, electricity, and light, mechanochemistry focuses on the activation of chemical reactions by directly or indirectly applying mechanical forces. It has evolved as a powerful tool for controlling chemical reactions in solid state systems, sensing and responding to stresses in polymer materials, regulating interfacial adhesions, and stimulating biological processes. By combining theoretical approaches, simulations and experimental techniques, researchers have gained intricate insights into the mechanisms underlying mechanochemistry. In this review, the physical chemistry principles underpinning mechanochemistry are elucidated and a comprehensive overview of recent significant achievements in the discovery of mechanically responsive chemical processes is provided, with a particular emphasis on their applications in materials science. Additionally, The perspectives and insights into potential future directions for this exciting research field are offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Dong
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Luofei Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Huiyan Chen
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Yi Cao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Hai Lei
- School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, P. R. China
- Institute of Advanced Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, P. R. China
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Chen L, Yu X, Chen W, Qiu F, Li D, Yang Z, Yang S, Lu S, Wang L, Feng S, Xiu P, Tang M, Wang H. Nanoscale detection of carbon dots-induced changes in actin skeleton of neural cells. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 668:293-302. [PMID: 38678885 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.04.152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the cytotoxicity of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) is crucial for their applications, and various biochemical assays have been used to study the effects of CDs on cells. Knowledge on the effects of CDs from a biophysical perspective is integral to the recognition of their cytotoxicity, however the related information is very limited. Here, we report that atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used as an effective tool for studying the effects of CDs on cells from the biophysical perspective. We achieve this by integrating AFM-based nanomechanics with AFM-based imaging. We demonstrate the performance of this method by measuring the influence of CDs on living human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells at the single-cell level. We find that high-dose CDs can mechanically induce elevated normalized hysteresis (energy dissipation during the cell deformation) and structurally impair actin skeleton. The nanomechanical change highly correlates with the alteration of actin filaments, indicating that CDs-induced changes in SH-SY5Y cells are revealed in-depth from the AFM-based biophysical aspect. We validate the reliability of the biophysical observations using conventional biological methods including cell viability test, fluorescent microscopy, and western blot assay. Our work contributes new and significant information on the cytotoxicity of CDs from the biophysical perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ligang Chen
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Xiaoting Yu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Fucheng Qiu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Dandan Li
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Zhongbo Yang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Songrui Yang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Shengjun Lu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Liang Wang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Shuanglong Feng
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Peng Xiu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Mingjie Tang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Huabin Wang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China; Chongqing Engineering Research Center of High-Resolution and Three-Dimensional Dynamic Imaging Technology, Chongqing 400714, China.
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6
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Jin R, Li Y, Xu Y, Cheng L, Jiang D. Stereoscopic Imaging of Single Molecules at Plasma Membrane of Single Cell Using Photoreduction-Assisted Electrochemistry. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2024; 7:0443. [PMID: 39140091 PMCID: PMC11319615 DOI: 10.34133/research.0443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Stereoscopic imaging of single molecules at the plasma membrane of single cell requires spatial resolutions in 3 dimensions (x-y-z) at 10-nm level, which is rarely achieved using most optical super-resolution microscopies. Here, electrochemical stereoscopic microscopy with a detection limit down to a single molecule is achieved using a photoreduction-assisted cycle inside a 20-nm gel electrolyte nanoball at the tip of a nanopipette. On the basis of the electrochemical oxidation of Ru(bpy)3 2+ into Ru(bpy)3 3+ followed by the reduction of Ru(bpy)3 3+ into Ru(bpy)3 2+ by photogenerated isopropanol radicals, a charge of 1.5 fC is obtained from the cycling electron transfers involving one Ru(bpy)3 2+/3+ molecule. By using the nanopipette to scan the cellular membrane modified with Ru(bpy)3 2+-tagged antibody, the morphology of the cell membrane and the distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) on the membrane are electrochemically visualized with a spatial resolution of 14 nm. The resultant stereoscopic image reveals more CEA on membrane protrusions, providing direct evidence to support easy access of membrane CEA to intravenous antibodies. The breakthrough in single-molecule electrochemistry at the cellular level leads to the establishment of high-resolution 3-dimensional single-cell electrochemical microscopy, offering an alternative strategy to remedy the imperfection of stereoscopic visualization in optical microscopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanyan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lei Cheng
- College of Engineering and Technology,
Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Dechen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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Payam AF, Khalil S, Chakrabarti S. Synthesis and Characterization of MOF-Derived Structures: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2310348. [PMID: 38660830 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202310348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Due to their facile tunability, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are employed as precursors and templates to construct advanced functional materials with unique and desired chemical, physical, mechanical, and morphological properties. By tuning MOF precursor composition and manipulating conversion processes, various MOF-derived materials commonly known as MOF derivatives can be constructed. The possibility of controlled and predictable properties makes MOF derivatives a preferred choice for numerous advanced technological applications. The innovative synthetic designs besides the plethora of interdisciplinary characterization approaches applicable to MOF derivatives provide the opportunity to perform a myriad of experiments to explore the performance and offer key insight to develop the next generation of advanced materials. Though there are many published works of literature describing various synthesis and characterization techniques of MOF derivatives, it is still not clear how the synthesis mechanism works and what are the best techniques to characterize these materials to probe their properties accurately. In this review, the recent development in synthesis techniques and mechanisms for a variety of MOF derivates such as MOF-derived metal oxides, porous carbon, composites/hybrids, and sulfides is summarized. Furthermore, the details of characterization techniques and fundamental working principles are summarized to probe the structural, mechanical, physiochemical, electrochemical, and electronic properties of MOF and MOF derivatives. The future trends and some remaining challenges in the synthesis and characterization of MOF derivatives are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Farokh Payam
- Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast, BT15 1AP, UK
| | - Sameh Khalil
- Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast, BT15 1AP, UK
| | - Supriya Chakrabarti
- Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast, BT15 1AP, UK
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8
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Xu K, Xie Y, Ma S, Liang Q, Shi Z. Heterodyne High-Harmonic Electrostatic Force Microscopy with Improved Spatial Resolution for Nanoscale Identification of Metallic/Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:39867-39875. [PMID: 39039958 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c08163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
There are two main types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs): metallic and semiconducting. Naturally grown CNTs are randomly distributed, posing challenges in distinguishing between the two types. Here, a novel approach for nanoscale high-resolution imaging and identification of CNTs was introduced by incorporating the heterodyne technique into high-harmonic electrostatic force microscopy (HH-EFM) on an atomic force microscopy (AFM) platform. In the developed heterodyne HH-EFM, a more localized high-order gradient of tip-sample nonlinear interaction force is used as signal channels, resulting in an improved spatial resolution, compared to the conventional HH-EFM. Furthermore, the heterodyne HH-EFM also has the capability to visualize material carrier density and assess qualitative carrier transport performance. Our work not only presents a new approach to identifying/exploring electrical properties of low-dimensional nanomaterials but also provides a solution for optimizing resolution in long-range interaction-based functional AFM technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunqi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yufeng Xie
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Saiqun Ma
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Qi Liang
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
- Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zhiwen Shi
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
- Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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Zhurenkov KE, Akbarinejad A, Porritt H, Horrocks MS, Malmström J. Colloidal Probe Technique Optimization for Determination of Young's Modulus of Soft Adhesive Hydrogels. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024. [PMID: 39023221 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a valuable tool for determining the Young's modulus of a wide range of materials. However, it faces challenges, particularly when assessing adhesive materials like soft poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) hydrogels. This study focuses on enhancing the consistency and reliability of AFM measurements by functionally modifying AFM spherical tip cantilevers to address substrate adhesion issues with these hydrogels. Specifically, hydrophobic functionalization with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane (PFOCTS) emerged as the most effective approach, yielding consistent and reliable Young's modulus data across various pNIPAM hydrogel samples. This work highlights the importance of optimizing data acquisition in AFM, rather than relying on postprocessing, to reduce inconsistencies in Young's modulus assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill E Zhurenkov
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Alireza Akbarinejad
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Harrison Porritt
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Matthew S Horrocks
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Jenny Malmström
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
- MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand
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Yang Y, Li M. Side-view optical microscopy-assisted atomic force microscopy for thickness-dependent nanobiomechanics. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2024; 6:3306-3319. [PMID: 38933861 PMCID: PMC11197429 DOI: 10.1039/d4na00153b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The mechanical properties of biomaterials play an important role in regulating life processes, and thus accurately delineating the mechanical properties of biomaterials is critical to understand their functionality. Particularly, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become a powerful and standard tool for characterizing and analyzing the nanomechanical properties of biomaterials, and providing a capability to visualize the thickness of the specimen during AFM-based force spectroscopy experiments benefits the biomedical applications of AFM. Here, we present a study of side-view optical microscopy-assisted AFM based on the integration of AFM and a detachable side-view optical microscopy module, which is able to image in real time the AFM indentation process from the side-view perspective and consequently facilitates the utilization of AFM-based indentation assay to precisely detect the mechanical properties of a specimen by taking its thickness into account. The effectiveness of side-view optical microscopy-assisted AFM was confirmed on four different types of biomaterial systems, including microfabricated structures, hydrogels, living cells, and cell spheroids, and the experimental results significantly show that the mechanical properties of samples at the micro/nanoscale are closely related to their thickness, vividly illustrating side-view optical microscopy-assisted AFM as a promising approach for accurate nanomechanics of biomaterial systems. The study provides additional possibilities for measuring the thickness-dependent nanomechanical properties of biomaterials by AFM, which will enable AFM-based force spectroscopy technology to address more biological issues with enhanced precision and will benefit the field of mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang 110016 China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang 110169 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Mi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang 110016 China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang 110169 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
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Lima I, Silva A, Sousa F, Ferreira W, Freire R, de Oliveira C, de Sousa J. Measuring the viscoelastic relaxation function of cells with a time-dependent interpretation of the Hertz-Sneddon indentation model. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30623. [PMID: 38770291 PMCID: PMC11103437 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The Hertz-Sneddon elastic indentation model is widely adopted in the biomechanical investigation of living cells and other soft materials using atomic force microscopy despite the explicit viscoelastic nature of these materials. In this work, we demonstrate that an exact analytical viscoelastic force model for power-law materials, can be interpreted as a time-dependent Hertz-Sneddon-like model. Characterizing fibroblasts (L929) and osteoblasts (OFCOLII) demonstrates the model's accuracy. Our results show that the difference between Young's modulus E Y obtained by fitting force curves with the Hertz-Sneddon model and the effective Young's modulus derived from the viscoelastic force model is less than 3%, even when cells are probed at large forces where nonlinear deformation effects become significant. We also propose a measurement protocol that involves probing samples at different indentation speeds and forces, enabling the construction of the average viscoelastic relaxation function of samples by conveniently fitting the force curves with the Hertz-Sneddon model.
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Affiliation(s)
- I.V.M. Lima
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
| | - A.V.S. Silva
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
- Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Pau dos Ferros, 59900-000, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - F.D. Sousa
- Núcleo de Biologia Experimental, Universidade de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, 60811-905, Ceará, Brazil
| | - W.P. Ferreira
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
| | - R.S. Freire
- Central Analítica, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
| | - C.L.N. de Oliveira
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
| | - J.S. de Sousa
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 60440-900, Ceará, Brazil
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Siboni H, Ruseska I, Zimmer A. Atomic Force Microscopy for the Study of Cell Mechanics in Pharmaceutics. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:733. [PMID: 38931854 PMCID: PMC11207904 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell mechanics is gaining attraction in drug screening, but the applicable methods have not yet become part of the standardized norm. This review presents the current state of the art for atomic force microscopy, which is the most widely available method. The field is first motivated as a new way of tracking pharmaceutical effects, followed by a basic introduction targeted at pharmacists on how to measure cellular stiffness. The review then moves on to the current state of the knowledge in terms of experimental results and supplementary methods such as fluorescence microscopy that can give relevant additional information. Finally, rheological approaches as well as the theoretical interpretations are presented before ending on additional methods and outlooks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Siboni
- Pharmaceutical Technology & Biopharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria; (H.S.); (I.R.)
- Single Molecule Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Ivana Ruseska
- Pharmaceutical Technology & Biopharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria; (H.S.); (I.R.)
| | - Andreas Zimmer
- Pharmaceutical Technology & Biopharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria; (H.S.); (I.R.)
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13
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Zhang Z, Zhang S, Wang Q, Lu A, Chen Z, Yang Z, Luan J, Su R, Guan P, Yang Y. Intrinsic tensile ductility in strain hardening multiprincipal element metallic glass. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2400200121. [PMID: 38662550 PMCID: PMC11067058 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400200121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Traditional metallic glasses (MGs), based on one or two principal elements, are notoriously known for their lack of tensile ductility at room temperature. Here, we developed a multiprincipal element MG (MPEMG), which exhibits a gigapascal yield strength, significant strain hardening that almost doubles its yield strength, and 2% uniform tensile ductility at room temperature. These remarkable properties stem from the heterogeneous amorphous structure of our MPEMG, which is composed of atoms with significant size mismatch but similar atomic fractions. In sharp contrast to traditional MGs, shear banding in our glass triggers local elemental segregation and subsequent ordering, which transforms shear softening to hardening, hence resulting in shear-band self-halting and extensive plastic flows. Our findings reveal a promising pathway to design stronger, more ductile glasses that can be applied in a wide range of technological fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibo Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shan Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing100193, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qing Wang
- Laboratory for Microstructures, Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai200444, People’s Republic of China
| | - Anliang Lu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhaoqi Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziyin Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junhua Luan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rui Su
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing100193, People’s Republic of China
- College of Materials & Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou310018, People’s Republic of China
| | - Pengfei Guan
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing100193, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong999077, People’s Republic of China
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14
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Sokolov I. On machine learning analysis of atomic force microscopy images for image classification, sample surface recognition. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:11263-11270. [PMID: 38477533 PMCID: PMC11182436 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp05673b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM or SPM) imaging is one of the best matches with machine learning (ML) analysis among microscopy techniques. The digital format of AFM images allows for direct utilization in ML algorithms without the need for additional processing. Additionally, AFM enables the simultaneous imaging of distributions of over a dozen different physicochemical properties of sample surfaces, a process known as multidimensional imaging. While this wealth of information can be challenging to analyze using traditional methods, ML provides a seamless approach to this task. However, the relatively slow speed of AFM imaging poses a challenge in applying deep learning methods broadly used in image recognition. This prospective is focused on ML recognition/classification when using a relatively small number of AFM images, aka small database. We discuss ML methods other than popular deep-learning neural networks. The described approach has already been successfully used to analyze and classify the surfaces of biological cells. It can be applied to recognize medical images, specific material processing, in forensic studies, even to identify the authenticity of arts. A general template for ML analysis specific to AFM is suggested, with a specific example of the identification of cell phenotype. Special attention is given to the analysis of the statistical significance of the obtained results, an important feature that is often overlooked in papers dealing with machine learning. A simple method for finding statistical significance is also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Sokolov
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Department of Physics, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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15
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Miyata T, Wang HF, Watanabe D, Kawagoe Y, Okabe T, Jinnai H. In-situ shearing process observation system for soft materials via transmission electron microscopy. Microscopy (Oxf) 2024; 73:208-214. [PMID: 37702250 DOI: 10.1093/jmicro/dfad045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
We developed an in-situ shear test system suitable for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, which enabled us to examine the shear deformation behaviours inside soft materials at nanoscale resolutions. This study was conducted on a nanoparticle-filled rubber to investigate its nanoscale deformation behaviour under a large shear strain. First, the shear deformation process of a large area in the specimen was accurately examined and proven to exhibit an almost perfect simple shear. At the nanoscale, voids grew along the maximum principal strain during shear deformation. In addition, the nanoscale regions with rubber and silica aggregates exhibited deformation behaviours similar to the global shear deformation of the specimen. Although the silica aggregates exhibited displacement along the shearing directions, rotational motions were also observed owing to the torque generated by the local shear stress. This in-situ shear deformation system for TEM enabled us to understand the nanoscale origins of the mechanical properties of soft materials, particularly polymer composites. Graphical Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Miyata
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Hsiao-Fang Wang
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Rd., Zhongli Dist., Taoyuan City 320317, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Daisuke Watanabe
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Kawagoe
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Tomonaga Okabe
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Jinnai
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
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16
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Liu H, Yang Y, Liu J, Huang M, Lao K, Pan Y, Wang X, Hu T, Wen L, Xu S, Li S, Fang X, Lin WF, Zheng N, Tao HB. Constructing Robust 3D Ionomer Networks in the Catalyst Layer to Achieve Stable Water Electrolysis for Green Hydrogen Production. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:16408-16417. [PMID: 38502312 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c03318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The widespread application of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) is hampered by insufficient lifetime caused by degradation of the anode catalyst layer (ACL). Here, an important degradation mechanism has been identified, attributed to poor mechanical stability causing the mass transfer channels to be blocked by ionomers under operating conditions. By using liquid-phase atomic force microscopy, we directly observed that the ionomers were randomly distributed (RD) in the ACL, which occupied the mass transfer channels due to swelling, creeping, and migration properties. Interestingly, we found that alternating treatments of the ACL in different water/temperature environments resulted in forming three-dimensional ionomer networks (3D INs) in the ACL, which increased the mechanical strength of microstructures by 3 times. Benefitting from the efficient and stable mass transfer channels, the lifetime was improved by 19 times. A low degradation rate of approximately 3.0 μV/h at 80 °C and a high current density of 2.0 A/cm2 was achieved on a 50 cm2 electrolyzer. These data demonstrated a forecasted lifetime of 80 000 h, approaching the 2026 DOE lifetime target. This work emphasizes the importance of the mechanical stability of the ACL and offers a general strategy for designing and developing a durable PEMWE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jiawei Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Meiquan Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Kejie Lao
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Yaping Pan
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xinhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Tian Hu
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Linrui Wen
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Shuwen Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Shuirong Li
- College of Energy, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xiaoliang Fang
- College of Energy, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Wen-Feng Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, Leicestershire, U.K
| | - Nanfeng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Hua Bing Tao
- State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
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17
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Li M. Harnessing atomic force microscopy-based single-cell analysis to advance physical oncology. Microsc Res Tech 2024; 87:631-659. [PMID: 38053519 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell analysis is an emerging and promising frontier in the field of life sciences, which is expected to facilitate the exploration of fundamental laws of physiological and pathological processes. Single-cell analysis allows experimental access to cell-to-cell heterogeneity to reveal the distinctive behaviors of individual cells, offering novel opportunities to dissect the complexity of severe human diseases such as cancers. Among the single-cell analysis tools, atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful and versatile one which is able to nondestructively image the fine topographies and quantitatively measure multiple mechanical properties of single living cancer cells in their native states under aqueous conditions with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. Over the past few decades, AFM has been widely utilized to detect the structural and mechanical behaviors of individual cancer cells during the process of tumor formation, invasion, and metastasis, yielding numerous unique insights into tumor pathogenesis from the biomechanical perspective and contributing much to the field of cancer mechanobiology. Here, the achievements of AFM-based analysis of single cancer cells to advance physical oncology are comprehensively summarized, and challenges and future perspectives are also discussed. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Achievements of AFM in characterizing the structural and mechanical behaviors of single cancer cells are summarized, and future directions are discussed. AFM is not only capable of visualizing cellular fine structures, but can also measure multiple cellular mechanical properties as well as cell-generated mechanical forces. There is still plenty of room for harnessing AFM-based single-cell analysis to advance physical oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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18
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Liu N, Zhang T, Chen Z, Wang Y, Yue T, Shi J, Li G, Yang C, Jiang H, Sun Y. An AFM-Based Model-Fitting-Free Viscoelasticity Characterization Method for Accurate Grading of Primary Prostate Tumor. IEEE Trans Nanobioscience 2024; 23:319-327. [PMID: 38194381 DOI: 10.1109/tnb.2024.3351768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Viscoelasticity is a crucial property of cells, which plays an important role in label-free cell characterization. This paper reports a model-fitting-free viscoelasticity calculation method, correcting the effects of frequency, surface adhesion and liquid resistance on AFM force-distance (FD) curves. As demonstrated by quantifying the viscosity and elastic modulus of PC-3 cells, this method shows high self-consistency and little dependence on experimental parameters such as loading frequency, and loading mode (Force-volume vs. PeakForce Tapping). The rapid calculating speed of less than 1ms per curve without the need for a model fitting process is another advantage. Furthermore, this method was utilized to characterize the viscoelastic properties of primary clinical prostate cells from 38 patients. The results demonstrate that the reported characterization method a comparable performance with the Gleason Score system in grading prostate cancer cells, This method achieves a high average accuracy of 97.6% in distinguishing low-risk prostate tumors (BPH and GS6) from higher-risk (GS7-GS10) prostate tumors and a high average accuracy of 93.3% in distinguishing BPH from prostate cancer.
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19
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Lamour G, Malo M, Crépin R, Pelta J, Labdi S, Campillo C. Dynamically Mapping the Topography and Stiffness of the Leading Edge of Migrating Cells Using AFM in Fast-QI Mode. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:1364-1378. [PMID: 38330438 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Cell migration profoundly influences cellular function, often resulting in adverse effects in various pathologies including cancer metastasis. Directly assessing and quantifying the nanoscale dynamics of living cell structure and mechanics has remained a challenge. At the forefront of cell movement, the flat actin modules─the lamellipodium and the lamellum─interact to propel cell migration. The lamellipodium extends from the lamellum and undergoes rapid changes within seconds, making measurement of its stiffness a persistent hurdle. In this study, we introduce the fast-quantitative imaging (fast-QI) mode, demonstrating its capability to simultaneously map both the lamellipodium and the lamellum with enhanced spatiotemporal resolution compared with the classic quantitative imaging (QI) mode. Specifically, our findings reveal nanoscale stiffness gradients in the lamellipodium at the leading edge, where it appears to be slightly thinner and significantly softer than the lamellum. Additionally, we illustrate the fast-QI mode's accuracy in generating maps of height and effective stiffness through a streamlined and efficient processing of force-distance curves. These results underscore the potential of the fast-QI mode for investigating the role of motile cell structures in mechanosensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Lamour
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Michel Malo
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Raphaël Crépin
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Juan Pelta
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Sid Labdi
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
| | - Clément Campillo
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, LAMBE, 91025 Evry-Courcouronnes, France
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20
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Hadzipasic M, Zhang S, Huang Z, Passaro R, Sten MS, Shankar GM, Nia HT. Emergence of nanoscale viscoelasticity from single cancer cells to established tumors. Biomaterials 2024; 305:122431. [PMID: 38169188 PMCID: PMC10837793 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Tumors are complex materials whose physical properties dictate growth and treatment outcomes. Recent evidence suggests time-dependent physical properties, such as viscoelasticity, are crucial, distinct mechanical regulators of cancer progression and malignancy, yet the genesis and consequences of tumor viscoelasticity are poorly understood. Here, using Wide-bandwidth AFM-based ViscoElastic Spectroscopy (WAVES) coupled with mathematical modeling, we probe the origins of tumor viscoelasticity. From single carcinoma cells to increasingly sized carcinoma spheroids to established tumors, we describe a stepwise evolution of dynamic mechanical properties that create a nanorheological signature of established tumors: increased stiffness, decreased rate-dependent stiffening, and reduced energy dissipation. We dissect this evolution of viscoelasticity by scale, and show established tumors use fluid-solid interactions as the dominant mechanism of mechanical energy dissipation as opposed to fluid-independent intrinsic viscoelasticity. Additionally, we demonstrate the energy dissipation mechanism in spheroids and established tumors is negatively correlated with the cellular density, and this relationship strongly depends on an intact actin cytoskeleton. These findings define an emergent and targetable signature of the physical tumor microenvironment, with potential for deeper understanding of tumor pathophysiology and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhamed Hadzipasic
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sue Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhuoying Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachel Passaro
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margaret S Sten
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ganesh M Shankar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hadi T Nia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University Boston, MA, USA.
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21
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do Nascimento Amorim MDS, Silva França ÁR, Santos-Oliveira R, Rodrigues Sanches J, Marinho Melo T, Araújo Serra Pinto B, Barbosa LRS, Alencar LMR. Atomic Force Microscopy Applied to the Study of Tauopathies. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:699-715. [PMID: 38305187 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a scanning probe microscopy technique which has a physical principle, the measurement of interatomic forces between a very thin tip and the surface of a sample, allowing the obtaining of quantitative data at the nanoscale, contributing to the surface study and mechanical characterization. Due to its great versatility, AFM has been used to investigate the structural and nanomechanical properties of several inorganic and biological materials, including neurons affected by tauopathies. Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases featured by aggregation of phosphorylated tau protein inside neurons, leading to functional loss and progressive neurotoxicity. In the broad universe of neurodegenerative diseases, tauopathies comprise the most prevalent, with Alzheimer's disease as its main representative. This review highlights the use of AFM as a suitable research technique for the study of cellular damages in tauopathies, even in early stages, allowing elucidation of pathogenic mechanisms of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria do Socorro do Nascimento Amorim
- Laboratory of Biophysics and Nanosystems, Department of Physics, Federal University of Maranhão, Campus Bacanga, São Luís 65080-805, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Álefe Roger Silva França
- Laboratory of Biophysics and Nanosystems, Department of Physics, Federal University of Maranhão, Campus Bacanga, São Luís 65080-805, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Ralph Santos-Oliveira
- Nuclear Engineering Institute, Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission, Rio de Janeiro 21941906, Brazil
- Laboratory of Nanoradiopharmacy, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 23070200, Brazil
| | - Jonas Rodrigues Sanches
- Laboratory of Experimental Physiology, Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, Campus Bacanga, São Luís, 65080-805, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Thamys Marinho Melo
- Laboratory of Experimental Physiology, Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, Campus Bacanga, São Luís, 65080-805, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Bruno Araújo Serra Pinto
- Laboratory of Experimental Physiology, Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, Campus Bacanga, São Luís, 65080-805, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Leandro R S Barbosa
- Department of General Physics, Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
- Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-100, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciana Magalhães Rebelo Alencar
- Laboratory of Biophysics and Nanosystems, Department of Physics, Federal University of Maranhão, Campus Bacanga, São Luís 65080-805, Maranhão, Brazil
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22
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Huang W, Jiang G, Xie L, Chen X, Zhang R, Fan X. Effect of oxygen-containing functional groups on the micromechanical behavior of biodegradable plastics and their formation of microplastics during aging. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 463:132911. [PMID: 37939564 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Biodegradable plastics (BPs) are more prone to generate harmful microplastics (MPs) in a short time, which have always been ignored. Oxygenated functional group formation is considered to be a key indicator for assessing microplastic formation, while it is difficult to characterize at a very early stage. The micromechanical properties of the aging plastic during the formation of the MPs are highly influenced by the evolution of oxygen-containing functional groups, however, their relationship has rarely been revealed. Herein, we compared changes in the physicochemical properties of BPs and non-degradable plastic bags during aging in artificial seawater, soil, and air. The results showed that the oxidation of plastics in the air was the most significant, with the most prominent oxidation in BPs. The accumulation of carbonyl groups leads to a significant increase in the micromechanical properties and surface brittleness of the plastic, further exacerbating the formation of MPs. It was also verified by the FTIR, 2D-COS, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy analyses. Furthermore, the increased adhesion and roughness caused by oxygen-containing functional groups suggest that the environmental risks of BPs cannot be ignored. Our findings suggest that the testing of micromechanical properties can predicate the formation of the MPs at an early stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyi Huang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Guoqiang Jiang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Lidan Xie
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xueqin Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Runzhe Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xiaoyun Fan
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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Paez‐Perez M, Kuimova MK. Molecular Rotors: Fluorescent Sensors for Microviscosity and Conformation of Biomolecules. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202311233. [PMID: 37856157 PMCID: PMC10952837 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202311233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The viscosity and crowding of biological environment are considered vital for the correct cellular function, and alterations in these parameters are known to underly a number of pathologies including diabetes, malaria, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, to name a few. Over the last decades, fluorescent molecular probes termed molecular rotors proved extremely useful for exploring viscosity, crowding, and underlying molecular interactions in biologically relevant settings. In this review, we will discuss the basic principles underpinning the functionality of these probes and will review advances in their use as sensors for lipid order, protein crowding and conformation, temperature and non-canonical nucleic acid structures in live cells and other relevant biological settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Paez‐Perez
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, MSRHImperial College LondonWood LaneLondonW12 0BZUK
| | - Marina K. Kuimova
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, MSRHImperial College LondonWood LaneLondonW12 0BZUK
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24
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Gisbert VG, Espinosa FM, Sanchez JG, Serrano MC, Garcia R. Nanorheology and Nanoindentation Revealed a Softening and an Increased Viscous Fluidity of Adherent Mammalian Cells upon Increasing the Frequency. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2304884. [PMID: 37775942 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
The nanomechanical response of a cell depends on the frequency at which the cell is probed. The components of the cell that contribute to this property and their interplay are not well understood. Here, two force microscopy methods are integrated to characterize the frequency and/or the velocity-dependent properties of living cells. It is shown on HeLa and fibroblasts, that cells soften and fluidize upon increasing the frequency or the velocity of the deformation. This property was independent of the type and values (25 or 1000 nm) of the deformation. At low frequencies (2-10 Hz) or velocities (1-10 µm s-1 ), the response is dominated by the mechanical properties of the cell surface. At higher frequencies (>10 Hz) or velocities (>10 µm s-1 ), the response is dominated by the hydrodynamic drag of the cytosol. Softening and fluidization does not seem to involve any structural remodeling. It reflects a redistribution of the applied stress between the solid and liquid-like elements of the cell as the frequency or the velocity is changed. The data indicates that the quasistatic mechanical properties of a cell featuring a cytoskeleton pathology might be mimicked by the response of a non-pathological cell which is probed at a high frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor G Gisbert
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Francsico M Espinosa
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Juan G Sanchez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Maria Concepcion Serrano
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
| | - Ricardo Garcia
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, c/ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid, 28049, Spain
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25
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Albonetti C, Izzo L, Vigliotta G, Saponetti MS, Liscio F, Bobba F. Morphology and Mechanics of Star Copolymer Ultrathin Films Probed by Atomic Force Microscopy in the Air and in Liquid. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 17:592. [PMID: 38591448 PMCID: PMC10856403 DOI: 10.3390/ma17030592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Star copolymer films were produced by using spin-coating, drop-casting, and casting deposition techniques, thus obtaining ultrathin and thick films, respectively. The morphology is generally flat, but it becomes substrate-dependent for ultrathin films where the planarization effect of films is not efficient. The indentation hardness of films was investigated by Force Volume Maps in both the air and liquid. In the air, ultrathin films are in the substrate-dominated zone and, thus, the elastic modulus E is overestimated, while E reaches its bulk value for drop-casted ultrathin and thick films. In liquid (water), E follows an exponential decay for all films with a minimum soaked time t0 of 0.37 and 2.65 h for ultrathin and drop-casted ultrathin and thick films, respectively. After this time, E saturates to a value on average 92% smaller than that measured in the air due to film swelling. Such results support the role of film morphology in the antimicrobial activity envisaged in the literature, suggesting also an additional role of film hardness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Albonetti
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (CNR-ISMN), Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Superconduttori, Materiali Innovativi e Dispositivi (CNR-SPIN), Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Lorella Izzo
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi Dell’insubria, Via J.H. Dunant, 3, 21100 Varese, Italy;
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia “A. Zambelli”, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy;
| | - Giovanni Vigliotta
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia “A. Zambelli”, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy;
| | - Matilde Sublimi Saponetti
- Dipartimento di Fisica “E.R. Caianiello”, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy; (M.S.S.); (F.B.)
| | - Fabiola Liscio
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Fabrizio Bobba
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Superconduttori, Materiali Innovativi e Dispositivi (CNR-SPIN), Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica “E.R. Caianiello”, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy; (M.S.S.); (F.B.)
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26
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Yang X, Yang Y, Zhang Z, Li M. Deep Learning Image Recognition-Assisted Atomic Force Microscopy for Single-Cell Efficient Mechanics in Co-culture Environments. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:837-852. [PMID: 38154137 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based force spectroscopy assay has become an important method for characterizing the mechanical properties of single living cells under aqueous conditions, but a disadvantage is its reliance on manual operation and experience as well as the resulting low throughput. Particularly, providing a capacity to accurately identify the type of the cell grown in co-culture environments without the need of fluorescent labeling will further facilitate the applications of AFM in life sciences. Here, we present a study of deep learning image recognition-assisted AFM, which not only enables fluorescence-independent recognition of the identity of single co-cultured cells but also allows efficient downstream AFM force measurements of the identified cells. With the use of the deep learning-based image recognition model, the viability and type of individual cells grown in co-culture environments were identified directly from the optical bright-field images, which were confirmed by the following cell growth and fluorescent labeling results. Based on the image recognition results, the positional relationship between the AFM probe and the targeted cell was automatically determined, allowing the precise movement of the AFM probe to the target cell to perform force measurements. The experimental results show that the presented method was applicable not only to the conventional (microsphere-modified) AFM probe used in AFM indentation assay for measuring the Young's modulus of single co-cultured cells but also to the single-cell probe used in AFM-based single-cell force spectroscopy (SCFS) assay for measuring the adhesion forces of single co-cultured cells. The study illustrates deep learning imaging recognition-assisted AFM as a promising approach for label-free and high-throughput detection of single-cell mechanics under co-culture conditions, which will facilitate unraveling the mechanical cues involved in cell-cell interactions in their native states at the single-cell level and will benefit the field of mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuliang Yang
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang 110870, China
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Yanqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhihui Zhang
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang 110870, China
| | - Mi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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27
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Bontempi M, Marchiori G, Petretta M, Capozza R, Grigolo B, Giavaresi G, Gambardella A. Nanomechanical Mapping of Three Dimensionally Printed Poly-ε-Caprolactone Single Microfibers at the Cell Scale for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:617. [PMID: 38132556 PMCID: PMC10742115 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8080617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) has been widely used in additive manufacturing for the construction of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. However, its use is limited by its lack of bioactivity and inability to induce cell adhesion, hence limiting bone tissue regeneration. Biomimicry is strongly influenced by the dynamics of cell-substrate interaction. Thus, characterizing scaffolds at the cell scale could help to better understand the relationship between surface mechanics and biological response. We conducted atomic force microscopy-based nanoindentation on 3D-printed PCL fibers of ~300 µm thickness and mapped the near-surface Young's modulus at loading forces below 50 nN. In this non-disruptive regime, force mapping did not show clear patterns in the spatial distribution of moduli or a relationship with the topographic asperities within a given region. Remarkably, we found that the average modulus increased linearly with the logarithm of the strain rate. Finally, a dependence of the moduli on the history of nanoindentation was demonstrated on locations of repeated nanoindentations, likely due to creep phenomena capable of hindering viscoelasticity. Our findings can contribute to the rational design of scaffolds for bone regeneration that are capable of inducing cell adhesion and proliferation. The methodologies described are potentially applicable to various tissue-engineered biopolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bontempi
- Scienze e Tecnologie Chirurgiche, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy; (M.B.); (G.M.); (G.G.)
| | - Gregorio Marchiori
- Scienze e Tecnologie Chirurgiche, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy; (M.B.); (G.M.); (G.G.)
| | - Mauro Petretta
- REGENHU SA, Z.I Du Vivier 22, CH-1690 Villaz-St-Pierre, Switzerland;
| | - Rosario Capozza
- School of Engineering, Institute for Bioengineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK;
| | - Brunella Grigolo
- Laboratorio RAMSES, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Gianluca Giavaresi
- Scienze e Tecnologie Chirurgiche, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy; (M.B.); (G.M.); (G.G.)
| | - Alessandro Gambardella
- Scienze e Tecnologie Chirurgiche, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy; (M.B.); (G.M.); (G.G.)
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28
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Wan L, Song Z, Wang Z, Dong J, Chen Y, Hu J. Repair effect of Centella asiatica (L.) extract on damaged HaCaT cells studied by atomic force microscopy. J Microsc 2023; 292:148-157. [PMID: 37855555 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
People's choice of cosmetics is no longer just 'Follow the trend', but pays more attention to the ingredients of cosmetics, whether the ingredients of cosmetics are beneficial to people's skin health; therefore, more and more skin-healthy ingredients have been discovered and used in cosmetics. In this work, atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to provide physical information about biomolecules and living cells; it brings us a new method of high-precision physical measurement. Centella asiatica (L.) extract has the ability to promote skin wound healing, but its healing effect on damaged HaCaT cells needs to be investigated, which plays a key role in judging the effectiveness of skincare ingredients. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of Centella asiatica (L.) extract on ethanol-damaged human immortalised epidermal HaCaT cells based on AFM. We established a model of cellular damage and evaluated cell viability using the MTT assay. The physical changes of cell height, roughness, adhesion and Young's modulus were measured by AFM. The findings indicated that the Centella asiatica (L.) extract had a good repair effect on injured HaCaT cells, and the optimal concentration was 75 μg/mL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Wan
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- Centre for Opto/Bio-Nano Measurement and Manufacturing, Zhongshan Institute of Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhongshan, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
| | - Zhengxun Song
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- Centre for Opto/Bio-Nano Measurement and Manufacturing, Zhongshan Institute of Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhongshan, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
| | - Zuobin Wang
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- Centre for Opto/Bio-Nano Measurement and Manufacturing, Zhongshan Institute of Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhongshan, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- JR3CN & IRAC, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK
| | - Jianjun Dong
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- Centre for Opto/Bio-Nano Measurement and Manufacturing, Zhongshan Institute of Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhongshan, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
| | - Yujuan Chen
- International Research Centre for Nano Handling and Manufacturing of China, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- Centre for Opto/Bio-Nano Measurement and Manufacturing, Zhongshan Institute of Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhongshan, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Cross-Scale Micro and Nano Manufacturing, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
- School of Life Sciences, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
| | - Jing Hu
- Centre for Opto/Bio-Nano Measurement and Manufacturing, Zhongshan Institute of Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhongshan, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, China
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29
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Zeng J, Zhang Y, Xu R, Chen H, Tang X, Zhang S, Yang H. Nanomechanical-based classification of prostate tumor using atomic force microscopy. Prostate 2023; 83:1591-1601. [PMID: 37759151 DOI: 10.1002/pros.24617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The loss of mechanical homeostasis between tumor cells and microenvironment is an important factor in tumor metastasis. In the process, mechanical forces affect cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and tissue development. AIMS Using high spatial resolution of Atomic force microscopy (AFM) technology, our study provides the direct measurement of the nanomechanical properties of prostate cancer clinical tissue specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS AFM was used to determine the biomechanical properties of prostate tissue with different grade scores. K-means clustering method and fuzzy C-means were used to distinguish the cellular component in prostate tissue from non-cellular component based on their viscoelasticity. Futhermore, AFM measurements in vitro cells, including metastatic prostate cells (PC-3) and normal human prostate cells (PZ-HPV-7) were carried out. RESULTS The Young's modulus was decreased in prostate cancer progression, and the elasticity of cellular component in prostate cancer tissue was smaller than that of normal prostate tissue. PC-3 cells were softer than PZ-HPV-7 cells. Further mechanism investigation showed that the difference in modulus between cancerous and normal prostate tissue may be associated with a greater actin cytoskeleton distribution inside the cancer cells. CONCLUSION The results suggests that the nanomechanical properties can classify the prostate tumor, which could be used as an index for the identification and classification of cancer at cellular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinshu Zeng
- Department of Ultrasound Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Ultrasound Imaging, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, College of Photonic and Electronic Engineering, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Renfeng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, College of Photonic and Electronic Engineering, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Huitin Chen
- Department of Ultrasound Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Ultrasound Imaging, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqiong Tang
- Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, College of Photonic and Electronic Engineering, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hongqin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, College of Photonic and Electronic Engineering, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
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30
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Weiss AV, Schneider M. Elasticity, an often-overseen parameter in the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 14:1149-1156. [PMID: 38034475 PMCID: PMC10682522 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.14.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles have shown an enormous potential as drug delivery systems in the lab. However, translation to the clinics or even market approval often fails. So far, the reason for this discrepancy is manifold. Physicochemical properties such as size, surface potential, and surface chemistry are in focus of research for many years. Other equally important parameters, influencing whether a successful drug delivery can be achieved, are mechanical properties of nanoparticles. Even though this is often not even considered during formulation development, and it is not requested for approval, an increasing number of studies show that it is important to have knowledge about these characteristics. In this article, we discuss examples highlighting the influence of elasticity in nanoscale biological interactions focusing on mucosal delivery and on tumor targeting. Besides this, we discuss the influence of different measurement settings using atomic force microscopy for the determination of mechanical properties of drug carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes-Valencia Weiss
- Department of Pharmacy, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Saarland University, Campus C4 1, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Marc Schneider
- Department of Pharmacy, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Saarland University, Campus C4 1, Saarbruecken, Germany
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31
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Hall D. HSAFM-MIREBA - Methodology for Inferring REsolution in biological applications. Anal Biochem 2023; 681:115320. [PMID: 37717838 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2023.115320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Due to a lack of requirement for any direct labelling of the target molecule, high speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is a potentially powerful procedure for the assessment of biological processes involving macromolecules. When the sample is static the AFM device can be purposefully setup to recover high-resolution information about the feature in question. However, when the feature to be studied moves an appreciable amount during the course of the measurement, the obtained image will be blurred. Encountering such blurred observations prompts the experimenter to sacrifice higher resolution images for higher scanning speeds by tuning available experimental parameters (such as the scanned image area, the image pixel size, the resonance frequency of the cantilever and/or the diameter of the AFM tip). The present work describes a software tool, HSAFM-MIREBA (High Speed Atomic Force Microscopy - Methodology for Inferring REsolution in Biological Applications) that allows for pre-experimental optimization of such parameters through iterative rounds of simulation of both the dynamic surface process and the HS-AFM measurement (based on the particular set of governing parameters). A representative set of five dynamic biological processes that describe a range of diffusive and directed motions (which can themselves be tuned by altering characteristic governing parameter sets) are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute. Kanazawa University, Kakumamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1164, Japan.
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32
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Wang H, Zhang H, Tamura R, Da B, Abdellatef SA, Watanabe I, Ishida N, Fujita D, Hanagata N, Nakagawa T, Nakanishi J. Mapping stress inside living cells by atomic force microscopy in response to environmental stimuli. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ADVANCED MATERIALS 2023; 24:2265434. [PMID: 37867575 PMCID: PMC10586080 DOI: 10.1080/14686996.2023.2265434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
The response of cells to environmental stimuli, under either physiological or pathological conditions, plays a key role in determining cell fate toward either adaptive survival or controlled death. The efficiency of such a feedback mechanism is closely related to the most challenging human diseases, including cancer. Since cellular responses are implemented through physical forces exerted on intracellular components, more detailed knowledge of force distribution through modern imaging techniques is needed to ensure a mechanistic understanding of these forces. In this work, we mapped these intracellular forces at a whole-cell scale and with submicron resolution to correlate intracellular force distribution to the cytoskeletal structures. Furthermore, we visualized dynamic mechanical responses of the cells adapting to environmental modulations in situ. Such task was achieved by using an informatics-assisted atomic force microscope (AFM) indentation technique where a key step was Markov-chain Monte Carlo optimization to search for both the models used to fit indentation force-displacement curves and probe geometry descriptors. We demonstrated force dynamics within cytoskeleton, as well as nucleoskeleton in living cells which were subjected to mechanical state modulation: myosin motor inhibition, micro-compression stimulation and geometrical confinement manipulation. Our results highlight the alteration in the intracellular prestress to attenuate environmental stimuli; to involve in cellular survival against mechanical signal-initiated death during cancer growth and metastasis; and to initiate cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxin Wang
- Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Han Zhang
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ryo Tamura
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Bo Da
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shimaa A. Abdellatef
- Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ikumu Watanabe
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Ishida
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Daisuke Fujita
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Hanagata
- Research Network and Facility Services Division, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tomoki Nakagawa
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Jun Nakanishi
- Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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33
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Gulati K, Adachi T. Profiling to Probing: Atomic force microscopy to characterize nano-engineered implants. Acta Biomater 2023; 170:15-38. [PMID: 37562516 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Surface modification of implants in the nanoscale or implant nano-engineering has been recognized as a strategy for augmenting implant bioactivity and achieving long-term implant success. Characterizing and optimizing implant characteristics is crucial to achieving desirable effects post-implantation. Modified implant enables tailored, guided and accelerated tissue integration; however, our understanding is limited to multicellular (bulk) interactions. Finding the nanoscale forces experienced by a single cell on nano-engineered implants will aid in predicting implants' bioactivity and engineering the next generation of bioactive implants. Atomic force microscope (AFM) is a unique tool that enables surface characterization and understanding of the interactions between implant surface and biological tissues. The characterization of surface topography using AFM to gauge nano-engineered implants' characteristics (topographical, mechanical, chemical, electrical and magnetic) and bioactivity (adhesion of cells) is presented. A special focus of the review is to discuss the use of single-cell force spectroscopy (SCFS) employing AFM to investigate the minute forces involved with the adhesion of a single cell (resident tissue cell or bacterium) to the surface of nano-engineered implants. Finally, the research gaps and future perspectives relating to AFM-characterized current and emerging nano-engineered implants are discussed towards achieving desirable bioactivity performances. This review highlights the use of advanced AFM-based characterization of nano-engineered implant surfaces via profiling (investigating implant topography) or probing (using a single cell as a probe to study precise adhesive forces with the implant surface). STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Nano-engineering is emerging as a surface modification platform for implants to augment their bioactivity and achieve favourable treatment outcomes. In this extensive review, we closely examine the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to characterize the properties of nano-engineered implant surfaces (topography, mechanical, chemical, electrical and magnetic). Next, we discuss Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy (SCFS) via AFM towards precise force quantification encompassing a single cell's interaction with the implant surface. This interdisciplinary review will appeal to researchers from the broader scientific community interested in implants and cell adhesion to implants and provide an improved understanding of the surface characterization of nano-engineered implants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan Gulati
- Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; The University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, Herston QLD 4006, Australia.
| | - Taiji Adachi
- Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
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34
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Cafolla C, Voïtchovsky K, Payam AF. Simultaneous quantification of Young's modulus and dispersion forces with nanoscale spatial resolution. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 34:505714. [PMID: 37699380 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/acf8ce] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Many advances in polymers and layered materials rely on a precise understanding of the local interactions between adjacent molecular or atomic layers. Quantifying dispersion forces at the nanoscale is particularly challenging with existing methods often time consuming, destructive, relying on surface averaging or requiring bespoke equipment. Here, we present a non-invasive method able to quantify the local mechanical and dispersion properties of a given sample with nanometer lateral precision. The method, based on atomic force microscopy (AFM), uses the frequency shift of a vibrating AFM cantilever in combination with established contact mechanics models to simultaneously derive the Hamaker constant and the effective Young's modulus at a given sample location. The derived Hamaker constant and Young's modulus represent an average over a small (typically <100) number of molecules or atoms. The oscillation amplitude of the vibrating AFM probe is used to select the length-scale of the features to analyse, with small vibrations able to resolve the contribution of sub-nanometric defects and large ones exploring effectively homogeneous areas. The accuracy of the method is validated on a range of 2D materials in air and water as well as on polymer thin films. We also provide the first experimental measurements of the Hamaker constant of HBN, MoT2, WSe2and polymer films, verifying theoretical predictions and computer simulations. The simplicity and robustness of the method, implemented with a commercial AFM, may support a broad range of technological applications in the growing field of polymers and nanostructured materials where a fine control of the van der Waals interactions is crucial to tune their properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clodomiro Cafolla
- Physics Department, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | | | - Amir Farokh Payam
- Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, United Kingdom
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35
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Roenbeck MR, Strawhecker KE. Exploring internal structures and properties of terpolymer fibers via real-space characterizations. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 14:1004-1017. [PMID: 37822723 PMCID: PMC10562645 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.14.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
While significant research has investigated the processing and properties of high-performance terpolymer fibers, much remains to be understood about the internal nano- and microstructures of these fibers, and how these morphologies relate to fiber properties. Here we use a focused ion beam notch technique and multifrequency atomic force microscope mapping to characterize the internal structure and local mechanical properties within Technora® fibers. We find a highly fibrillated structure that appears to connect with both the fiber's molecular chemistry and full-fiber mechanical properties. In addition, through detailed comparisons with Kevlar® K29 fibers, we find remarkable differences between the internal structures of the two fibers, and posit connections between our measurements and multifunctional performance studies from the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Roenbeck
- Department of Marine Engineering, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York 11024, United States
- DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21005, United States
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36
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Wu H, Zhang L, Zhao B, Yang W, Galluzzi M. Deep learning strategy for small dataset from atomic force microscopy mechano-imaging on macrophages phenotypes. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1259979. [PMID: 37860624 PMCID: PMC10582561 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1259979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The cytoskeleton is involved during movement, shaping, resilience, and functionality in immune system cells. Biomarkers such as elasticity and adhesion can be promising alternatives to detect the status of cells upon phenotype activation in correlation with functionality. For instance, professional immune cells such as macrophages undergo phenotype functional polarization, and their biomechanical behaviors can be used as indicators for early diagnostics. For this purpose, combining the biomechanical sensitivity of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the automation and performance of a deep neural network (DNN) is a promising strategy to distinguish and classify different activation states. To resolve the issue of small datasets in AFM-typical experiments, nanomechanical maps were divided into pixels with additional localization data. On such an enlarged dataset, a DNN was trained by multimodal fusion, and the prediction was obtained by voting classification. Without using conventional biomarkers, our algorithm demonstrated high performance in predicting the phenotype of macrophages. Moreover, permutation feature importance was employed to interpret the results and unveil the importance of different biophysical properties and, in turn, correlated this with the local density of the cytoskeleton. While our results were demonstrated on the RAW264.7 model cell line, we expect that our methodology could be opportunely customized and applied to distinguish different cell systems and correlate feature importance with biophysical properties to unveil innovative markers for diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wu
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Banglei Zhao
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Wenjie Yang
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Massimiliano Galluzzi
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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37
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Madawala C, Lee HD, Kaluarachchi CP, Tivanski AV. Quantifying the Viscosity of Individual Submicrometer Semisolid Particles Using Atomic Force Microscopy. Anal Chem 2023; 95:14566-14572. [PMID: 37740726 PMCID: PMC10551855 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols' viscosities can vary significantly depending on their composition, mixing states, relative humidity (RH) and temperature. The diffusion time scale of atmospheric gases into an aerosol is largely governed by its viscosity, which in turn influences heterogeneous chemistry and climate-relevant aerosol effects. Quantifying the viscosity of aerosols in the semisolid phase state is particularly important as they are prevalent in the atmosphere and have a wide range of viscosities. Currently, direct viscosity measurements of submicrometer individual atmospheric aerosols are limited, largely due to the inherent size limitations of existing experimental techniques. Herein, we present a method that utilizes atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly quantify the viscosity of substrate-deposited individual submicrometer semisolid aerosol particles as a function of RH. The method is based on AFM force spectroscopy measurements coupled with the Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic model. Using glucose, sucrose, and raffinose as model systems, we demonstrate the accuracy of the AFM method within the viscosity range of ∼104-107 Pa s. The method is applicable to individual particles with sizes ranging from tens of nanometers to several micrometers. Furthermore, the method does not require prior knowledge on the composition of studied particles. We anticipate future measurements utilizing the AFM method on atmospheric aerosols at various RH to aid in our understanding of the range of aerosols' viscosities, the extent of particle-to-particle viscosity variability, and how these contribute to the particle diversity observable in the atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chamika
K. Madawala
- Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Hansol D. Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | | | - Alexei V. Tivanski
- Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
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38
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Braunshtein O, Levavi L, Zlotnikov I, Bar-On B. Nanoscale dynamic mechanical analysis on interfaces of biological composites. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2023; 146:106091. [PMID: 37672957 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2023.106091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Biological composites incorporate structural arrays of rigid-elastic reinforcements made of minerals or crystalline biopolymers, which are connected by thin, compliant, and viscoelastic macromolecular matrix material. The near-interface regions of these biological composites grant them energy dissipation capabilities against dynamic mechanical loadings, which promote various biomechanical functions such as impact adsorption, fracture toughness, and mechanical signal filtering. Here, we employ theoretical modeling and finite-element simulations to analyze the mechanical response of the near-interface in biological composites to nanoscale dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). We identified the dominating load-bearing mechanisms of the near-interface region and employed these insights to introduce simple semi-empirical formulations for approaching the mechanical properties (storage and loss moduli) of the biological composite from the nanoscale DMA results. Our analysis paves the way for the nanomechanical characterization of biological composites in diverse natural materials systems, which can also be employed for bioinspired and biomedical configurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofer Braunshtein
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel; Nuclear Research Center-Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, 84190, Israel
| | - Liat Levavi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Igor Zlotnikov
- B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany
| | - Benny Bar-On
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel.
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39
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Ichikawa T, Alam MS, Penedo M, Matsumoto K, Fujita S, Miyazawa K, Furusho H, Miyata K, Nakamura C, Fukuma T. Protocol for live imaging of intracellular nanoscale structures using atomic force microscopy with nanoneedle probes. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102468. [PMID: 37481726 PMCID: PMC10374873 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is capable of nanoscale imaging but has so far only been used on cell surfaces when applied to a living cell. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol for nanoendoscopy-AFM, which enables the imaging of nanoscale structures inside living cells. The protocol consists of cell staining, fabrication of the nanoneedle probes, observation inside living cells using 2D and 3D nanoendoscopy-AFM, and visualization of the 3D data. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Penedo et al. (2021)1 and Penedo et al. (2021).2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takehiko Ichikawa
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
| | - Mohammad Shahidul Alam
- Division of Nano Life Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Marcos Penedo
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Institute for Bioengineering, Laboratory for Bio and Nanoinstrumentation, Lausanne, CH 1015, Switzerland
| | - Kyosuke Matsumoto
- Faculty of Frontier Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Sou Fujita
- Faculty of Frontier Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Keisuke Miyazawa
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; Faculty of Frontier Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Hirotoshi Furusho
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Kazuki Miyata
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; Division of Nano Life Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; Faculty of Frontier Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Chikashi Nakamura
- AIST-INDIA Diverse Assets and Applications International Laboratory (DAILAB), Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute (CMB), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan
| | - Takeshi Fukuma
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; Division of Nano Life Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; Faculty of Frontier Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
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40
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Chen Z, Fan Q, Zhou J, Wang X, Huang M, Jiang H, Cölfen H. Toward Understanding the Formation Mechanism and OER Catalytic Mechanism of Hydroxides by In Situ and Operando Techniques. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023:e202309293. [PMID: 37650657 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202309293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Developing efficient and affordable electrocatalysts for the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a significant barrier that needs to be overcome for the practical applications of hydrogen production via water electrolysis, transforming CO2 to value-added chemicals, and metal-air batteries. Recently, hydroxides have shown promise as electrocatalysts for OER. In situ or operando techniques are particularly indispensable for monitoring the key intermediates together with understanding the reaction process, which is extremely important for revealing the formation/OER catalytic mechanism of hydroxides and preparing cost-effective electrocatalysts for OER. However, there is a lack of comprehensive discussion on the current status and challenges of studying these mechanisms using in situ or operando techniques, which hinders our ability to identify and address the obstacles present in this field. This review offers an overview of in situ or operando techniques, outlining their capabilities, advantages, and disadvantages. Recent findings related to the formation mechanism and OER catalytic mechanism of hydroxides revealed by in situ or operando techniques are also discussed in detail. Additionally, some current challenges in this field are concluded and appropriate solution strategies are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongkun Chen
- University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
- Current address: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Stiftstraße 34-36, 45470, Mülheim an der, Ruhr, Germany
| | - Qiqi Fan
- University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jian Zhou
- University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Xingkun Wang
- Laboratory of Functional Membrane Material and Membrane Technology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266101, Qingdao, P. R. China
| | - Minghua Huang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, 266100, Qingdao, P. R. China
| | - Heqing Jiang
- Laboratory of Functional Membrane Material and Membrane Technology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266101, Qingdao, P. R. China
| | - Helmut Cölfen
- University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
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41
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Feng Y, Li M. Micropipette-assisted atomic force microscopy for single-cell 3D manipulations and nanomechanical measurements. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:13346-13358. [PMID: 37526589 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02404k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical cues play a crucial role in regulating physiological and pathological processes, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become an important and standard tool for measuring the mechanical properties of single cells. In particular, providing a capability to manipulate cells in a three-dimensional (3D) space benefits enhancing the applications of AFM measurements in cell biology. Here, we present the complementary integration of AFM and micropipette micromanipulation, which allows precise 3D manipulations and nanomechanical measurements of single living cells. A micropipette micromanipulation system under the guidance of optical microscopy was established to isolate single living cells, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillar substrates were used to physically immobilize the isolated living cells for downstream AFM detection. The viscoelastic properties (Young's modulus, relaxation time, viscosity) of cells were quantitatively measured by AFM-based indentation assay. The effectiveness of micropipette-assisted AFM in single-cell analysis was confirmed on both living animal suspended cells and living animal adherent cells, showing dramatic changes in cell mechanics in different states and revealing the dynamics of single cells grown on micropillar arrays. The study demonstrates the great potential of a micropipette to aid AFM in single-cell manipulations for better accessing the mechanical cues involved in cellular processes, which will allow additional studies of single-cell mechanics and will benefit the field of mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
- Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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42
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Nguyen HK, Shundo A, Ito M, Pittenger B, Yamamoto S, Tanaka K, Nakajima K. Insights into Mechanical Dynamics of Nanoscale Interfaces in Epoxy Composites Using Nanorheology Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:38029-38038. [PMID: 37499131 PMCID: PMC10416213 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c06123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Interfacial polymer layers with nanoscale size play critical roles in dissipating the strain energy around cracks and defects in structural nanocomposites, thereby enhancing the material's fracture toughness. However, understanding how the intrinsic mechanical dynamics of the interfacial layer determine the toughening and reinforcement mechanisms in various polymer nanocomposites remains a major challenge. Here, by means of a recently developed nanorheology atomic force microscopy method, also known as nanoscale dynamic mechanical analysis (nDMA), we report direct mapping of dynamic mechanical responses at the interface of a model epoxy nanocomposite under the transition from a glassy to a rubbery state. We demonstrate a significant deviation in the dynamic moduli of the interface from matrix behavior. Interestingly, the sign of the deviation is observed to be reversed when the polymer changes from a glassy to a rubbery state, which provides an excellent explanation for the difference in the modulus reinforcement between glassy and rubbery epoxy nanocomposites. More importantly, nDMA loss tangent images unambiguously show an enhanced viscoelastic response at the interface compared to the bulk matrix in the glassy state. This observation can therefore provide important insights into the nanoscale toughening mechanism that occurs in epoxy nanocomposites due to viscoelastic energy dissipation at the interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung K. Nguyen
- Department
of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical
Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Atsuomi Shundo
- Center
for Polymer Interface and Molecular Adhesion Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Makiko Ito
- Department
of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical
Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Bede Pittenger
- Bruker
Nano Surfaces, AFM Unit, Santa Barbara, California 93117, United States
| | - Satoru Yamamoto
- Center
for Polymer Interface and Molecular Adhesion Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Keiji Tanaka
- Center
for Polymer Interface and Molecular Adhesion Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Ken Nakajima
- Department
of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical
Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
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43
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Gisbert VG, Garcia R. Insights and guidelines to interpret forces and deformations at the nanoscale by using a tapping mode AFM simulator: dForce 2.0. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:5857-5868. [PMID: 37305960 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00334e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Amplitude modulation (tapping mode) AFM is the most versatile AFM mode for imaging surfaces at the nanoscale in air and liquid environments. However, it remains challenging to estimate the forces and deformations exerted by the tip. We introduce a new simulator environment to predict the values of the observables in tapping mode AFM experiments. The relevant feature of dForce 2.0 is the incorporation of contact mechanics models aimed to describe the properties of ultrathin samples. These models were essential to determine the forces applied on samples such as proteins, self-assembled monolayers, lipid bilayers, and few-layered materials. The simulator incorporates two types of long-range magnetic forces. The simulator is written in an open-source code (Python) and it can be run from a personal computer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor G Gisbert
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC c/Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ricardo Garcia
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC c/Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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44
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Li R, Madhvacharyula AS, Du Y, Adepu HK, Choi JH. Mechanics of dynamic and deformable DNA nanostructures. Chem Sci 2023; 14:8018-8046. [PMID: 37538812 PMCID: PMC10395309 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc01793a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In DNA nanotechnology, DNA molecules are designed, engineered, and assembled into arbitrary-shaped architectures with predesigned functions. Static DNA assemblies often have delicate designs with structural rigidity to overcome thermal fluctuations. Dynamic structures reconfigure in response to external cues, which have been explored to create functional nanodevices for environmental sensing and other applications. However, the precise control of reconfiguration dynamics has been a challenge due partly to flexible single-stranded DNA connections between moving parts. Deformable structures are special dynamic constructs with deformation on double-stranded parts and single-stranded hinges during transformation. These structures often have better control in programmed deformation. However, related deformability and mechanics including transformation mechanisms are not well understood or documented. In this review, we summarize the development of dynamic and deformable DNA nanostructures from a mechanical perspective. We present deformation mechanisms such as single-stranded DNA hinges with lock-and-release pairs, jack edges, helicity modulation, and external loading. Theoretical and computational models are discussed for understanding their associated deformations and mechanics. We elucidate the pros and cons of each model and recommend design processes based on the models. The design guidelines should be useful for those who have limited knowledge in mechanics as well as expert DNA designers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruixin Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University 585 Purdue Mall West Lafayette Indiana 47907 USA
| | - Anirudh S Madhvacharyula
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University 585 Purdue Mall West Lafayette Indiana 47907 USA
| | - Yancheng Du
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University 585 Purdue Mall West Lafayette Indiana 47907 USA
| | - Harshith K Adepu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University 585 Purdue Mall West Lafayette Indiana 47907 USA
| | - Jong Hyun Choi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University 585 Purdue Mall West Lafayette Indiana 47907 USA
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45
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Harrellson SG, DeLay MS, Chen X, Cavusoglu AH, Dworkin J, Stone HA, Sahin O. Hydration solids. Nature 2023; 619:500-505. [PMID: 37286609 PMCID: PMC10530534 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06144-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Hygroscopic biological matter in plants, fungi and bacteria make up a large fraction of Earth's biomass1. Although metabolically inert, these water-responsive materials exchange water with the environment and actuate movement2-5 and have inspired technological uses6,7. Despite the variety in chemical composition, hygroscopic biological materials across multiple kingdoms of life exhibit similar mechanical behaviours including changes in size and stiffness with relative humidity8-13. Here we report atomic force microscopy measurements on the hygroscopic spores14,15 of a common soil bacterium and develop a theory that captures the observed equilibrium, non-equilibrium and water-responsive mechanical behaviours, finding that these are controlled by the hydration force16-18. Our theory based on the hydration force explains an extreme slowdown of water transport and successfully predicts a strong nonlinear elasticity and a transition in mechanical properties that differs from glassy and poroelastic behaviours. These results indicate that water not only endows biological matter with fluidity but also can-through the hydration force-control macroscopic properties and give rise to a 'hydration solid' with unusual properties. A large fraction of biological matter could belong to this distinct class of solid matter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael S DeLay
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ahmet-Hamdi Cavusoglu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDSS), Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Jonathan Dworkin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Howard A Stone
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Ozgur Sahin
- Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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46
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Farokh Payam A, Passian A. Imaging beyond the surface region: Probing hidden materials via atomic force microscopy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg8292. [PMID: 37379392 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg8292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Probing material properties at surfaces down to the single-particle scale of atoms and molecules has been achieved, but high-resolution subsurface imaging remains a nanometrology challenge due to electromagnetic and acoustic dispersion and diffraction. The atomically sharp probe used in scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has broken these limits at surfaces. Subsurface imaging is possible under certain physical, chemical, electrical, and thermal gradients present in the material. Of all the SPM techniques, atomic force microscopy has entertained unique opportunities for nondestructive and label-free measurements. Here, we explore the physics of the subsurface imaging problem and the emerging solutions that offer exceptional potential for visualization. We discuss materials science, electronics, biology, polymer and composite sciences, and emerging quantum sensing and quantum bio-imaging applications. The perspectives and prospects of subsurface techniques are presented to stimulate further work toward enabling noninvasive high spatial and spectral resolution investigation of materials including meta- and quantum materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Farokh Payam
- Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre, School of Engineering, Ulster University, Belfast, UK
| | - Ali Passian
- Quantum Computing and Sensing, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
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47
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Li Z, Liu J, Ballard K, Liang C, Wang C. Low-dose albumin-coated gold nanorods induce intercellular gaps on vascular endothelium by causing the contraction of cytoskeletal actin. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 649:844-854. [PMID: 37390532 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Cytotoxicity of nanoparticles, typically evaluated by biochemical-based assays, often overlook the cellular biophysical properties such as cell morphology and cytoskeletal actin, which could serve as more sensitive indicators for cytotoxicity. Here, we demonstrate that low-dose albumin-coated gold nanorods (HSA@AuNRs), although being considered noncytotoxic in multiple biochemical assays, can induce intercellular gaps and enhance the paracellular permeability between human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). The formation of intercellular gaps can be attributed to the changed cell morphology and cytoskeletal actin structures, as validated at the monolayer and single cell levels using fluorescence staining, atomic force microscopy, and super-resolution imaging. Molecular mechanistic study shows the caveolae-mediated endocytosis of HSA@AuNRs induces the calcium influx and activates actomyosin contraction in HAECs. Considering the important roles of endothelial integrity/dysfunction in various physiological/pathological conditions, this work suggests a potential adverse effect of albumin-coated gold nanorods on the cardiovascular system. On the other hand, this work also offers a feasible way to modulate the endothelial permeability, thus promoting drug and nanoparticle delivery across the endothelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengqiang Li
- Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA; BioSystems Networks & Translational Research (BioSNTR), 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
| | - Jinyuan Liu
- Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA; BioSystems Networks & Translational Research (BioSNTR), 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
| | - Katherine Ballard
- Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA; BioSystems Networks & Translational Research (BioSNTR), 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
| | - Chao Liang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongshan Hospital (Xiamen) Fudan University, Xiamen 361015, China; Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Congzhou Wang
- Nanoscience and Biomedical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA; BioSystems Networks & Translational Research (BioSNTR), 501 E St Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA.
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48
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Höppener C, Elter JK, Schacher FH, Deckert V. Inside Block Copolymer Micelles-Tracing Interfacial Influences on Crosslinking Efficiency in Nanoscale Confined Spaces. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2206451. [PMID: 36806886 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202206451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Recently, several studies have demonstrated the excellent capabilities of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopyfor in-depth investigations of structural properties of matter with unprecedented resolution and chemical specificity. These capabilities are utilized here to study the internal structure of core-crosslinked micelles, which are formed by self-assembly of the diblock terpolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(furfuryl glycidylether-co-tert-butylglycidyl ether). Supplementing force-volume atomic force microscopy experiments address additionally the nanomechanical properties. Particularly, TERS enables investigating the underlying principles influencing the homogeneity and efficiency of the Diels-Alder core-crosslinking process in the confined hydrophobic core. While the central core region is homogenously crosslinked, a breakdown of the crosslinking reaction is observed in the core-corona interfacial region. The results corroborate that a strong crosslinking efficiency is directly correlated to the formation of a mixed zone of the glycidyl ether and PEO corona blocks reaching ≈5 nm into the core region. Concomitantly a strong exclusion of the encapsulated bismaleimide crosslinker from the interfacial region is observed. It is conceivable that a changed structure, chemical composition and altered nanomechanical properties of this interfacial region may also influence the crosslinking efficiency across the entire core region by a modification of the solubility of the crosslinker in the interfacial core-corona region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Höppener
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Johanna K Elter
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University, Lessingstraße 8, D-07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Felix H Schacher
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University, Lessingstraße 8, D-07743, Jena, Germany
- Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University, Philosophenweg 7, D-07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Volker Deckert
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, D-07745, Jena, Germany
- Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University, Philosophenweg 7, D-07743, Jena, Germany
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49
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Heldt CL, Areo O, Joshi PU, Mi X, Ivanova Y, Berrill A. Empty and Full AAV Capsid Charge and Hydrophobicity Differences Measured with Single-Particle AFM. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:5641-5648. [PMID: 37040364 PMCID: PMC10135413 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is showing promise as a therapy for diseases that contain a single-gene deletion or mutation. One major scale-up challenge is the removal of empty or non-gene of interest containing AAV capsids. Analytically, the empty capsids can be separated from full capsids using anion exchange chromatography. However, when scaled up to manufacturing, the minute changes in conductivity are difficult to consistently obtain. To better understand the differences in the empty and full AAV capsids, we have developed a single-particle atomic force microscopy (AFM) method to measure the differences in the charge and hydrophobicity of AAV capsids at the single-particle level. The atomic force microscope tip was functionalized with either a charged or a hydrophobic molecule, and the adhesion force between the functionalized atomic force microscope tip and the virus was measured. We measured a change in the charge and hydrophobicity between empty and full AAV2 and AAV8 capsids. The charge and hydrophobicity differences between AAV2 and AAV8 are related to the distribution of charge on the surface and not the total charge. We propose that the presence of nucleic acids inside the capsid causes minor but measurable changes in the capsid structure that lead to measurable surface changes in charge and hydrophobicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caryn L. Heldt
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
- Health
Research Institute, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United
States
| | - Oluwatoyin Areo
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
- Health
Research Institute, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United
States
| | - Pratik U. Joshi
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
- Health
Research Institute, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United
States
| | - Xue Mi
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Yulia Ivanova
- Gene
Therapy Process Development, Bioprocess Research and Development, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017, United States
| | - Alex Berrill
- Gene
Therapy Process Development, Bioprocess Research and Development, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017, United States
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50
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Hakim Khalili M, Panchal V, Dulebo A, Hawi S, Zhang R, Wilson S, Dossi E, Goel S, Impey SA, Aria AI. Mechanical Behavior of 3D Printed Poly(ethylene glycol) Diacrylate Hydrogels in Hydrated Conditions Investigated Using Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS 2023; 5:3034-3042. [PMID: 37090424 PMCID: PMC10111335 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.3c00197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printed hydrogels fabricated using light processing techniques are poised to replace conventional processing methods used in tissue engineering and organ-on-chip devices. An intrinsic potential problem remains related to structural heterogeneity translated in the degree of cross-linking of the printed layers. Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels were used to fabricate both 3D printed multilayer and control monolithic samples, which were then analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to assess their nanomechanical properties. The fabrication of the hydrogel samples involved layer-by-layer (LbL) projection lithography and bulk cross-linking processes. We evaluated the nanomechanical properties of both hydrogel types in a hydrated environment using the elastic modulus (E) as a measure to gain insight into their mechanical properties. We observed that E increases by 4-fold from 2.8 to 11.9 kPa transitioning from bottom to the top of a single printed layer in a multilayer sample. Such variations could not be seen in control monolithic sample. The variation within the printed layers is ascribed to heterogeneities caused by the photo-cross-linking process. This behavior was rationalized by spatial variation of the polymer cross-link density related to variations of light absorption within the layers attributed to spatial decay of light intensity during the photo-cross-linking process. More importantly, we observed a significant 44% increase in E, from 9.1 to 13.1 kPa, as the indentation advanced from the bottom to the top of the multilayer sample. This finding implies that mechanical heterogeneity is present throughout the entire structure, rather than being limited to each layer individually. These findings are critical for design, fabrication, and application engineers intending to use 3D printed multilayer PEGDA hydrogels for in vitro tissue engineering and organ-on-chip devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hakim Khalili
- Surface
Engineering and Precision Centre, School of Aerospace, Transport and
Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
| | - Vishal Panchal
- Bruker
UK Ltd., Banner Lane, Coventry CV4 9GH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sara Hawi
- Surface
Engineering and Precision Centre, School of Aerospace, Transport and
Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
| | - Rujing Zhang
- Sophion
Bioscience A/S, Baltorpvej 154, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark
| | - Sandra Wilson
- Sophion
Bioscience A/S, Baltorpvej 154, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark
| | - Eleftheria Dossi
- Centre
for Defence Chemistry, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Swindon SN6
8LA, United Kingdom
| | - Saurav Goel
- London
South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, United Kingdom
- University
of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun 248007, India
| | - Susan A. Impey
- Surface
Engineering and Precision Centre, School of Aerospace, Transport and
Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
| | - Adrianus Indrat Aria
- Surface
Engineering and Precision Centre, School of Aerospace, Transport and
Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
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