Cell Traction Force Generated by Macrophages is Affected by Polarization Status and Polyacrylamide Gel Stiffness

摘要

Macrophages are primary immune cells that can readily respond to signals in the microenvironment and migrate to specific locations in the body. Improperly regulated macrophage migration has been associated with several diseases including cancer, and atherosclerosis. By understanding how cell traction force is affected by substrate stiffness relative to macrophage phenotype will allow for development of novel targeted drugs for therapy. Cell traction force microscopy is an efficient approach to calculate the traction forces generated by cells on their substrates. Polyacrylamide hydrogels are optically transparent and have superior optical and mechanical properties. On that account, we used polyacrylamide gels as a substrate to investigate the distribution of forces generated by macrophages in different phenotypes and substrates of varying stiffness.