Electro-deformation of individual mammalian cells in suspension

We measured mechanical properties of individual mammalian cells (U937 monocytes and CHO, see below) in suspension by trapping and stretching them in time-varying, non-uniform electric fields. To demonstrate the potentially broad applicability of electro-deformation (ED) for mechanical (visco-elastic) characterization of cells in suspension, we calculated electrical stresses acting on the cells and we fit strain data with a three-parameter “standard linear solid” (SLS) model of visco-elasticity. Morphological changes to the cells´ cytoskeletons (CSK) were induced by exposure of U937 cells to CSK-disruptive toxins, and the effects on measured mechanical properties were compared with confocal fluorescence imaging of actin and vimentin in the cells.