Changes In Mechanical Property Of Human Dermal Fibroblast Induced By Electric Field Stimulation

Cellular elasticity is a unique mechanical property of single cell, which is expressed by the complex interaction of cytoskeleton, membrane, and other factors. This cellular elasticity is closely related to various functions and biological processes in the cell. Therefore, many researchers have been studying cellular elasticity in various ways. In particular, studies on the changes of cellular elasticity by external stimuli are actively performed in the fields of stem cells, cell death, and drug delivery. In this study, the changes of cellular elasticity were induced by electric field stimulation (EFs). Continuous EF (50 mV/mm) was applied to human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) for 2 h and the changes in elastic property was measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The Young's modulus of treated cells was increased by 2 ∼ 4 times compared to the control cells and the changes depends on the exposure time to EF. To understand the changes, the changes of F-actin and cellular calcium ion (Ca2+) by EF were analyzed. F-actin changes were consistent with changes in cellular elasticity. Concentration of Ca2+ increased up to 6.9 times by EF. The changes of F-actin and Ca2+ showed the similar dependency on the EFs time.