Visco-hyperelastic characterization of the mechanical properties of human fallopian tube tissue using atomic force microscopy

Human ovum cells sense the physical stimuli of their environment and regulate their behavior based on these stimuli. The fallopian tube tissue, as the substrate on which the ovum is fertilized, has major physical interactions with the ovum which makes its mechanical properties of great significance. In in-vitro fertilization (IVF), however, the ovum cells are fertilized on non-biomechanical substrates that are more than five orders of magnitude harder than the fallopian tube. This huge difference in the mechanical properties of the natural and IVF substrates can have negative result on the development of the embryo, the success of the IVF process and long-term health effects on children born using IVF.