Directly measurement of shear force of a single adhesion cell using a self-sensitive cantilever

This paper describes a measurement system based on an atomic force microscope (AFM) for the measurement of the shear force and detachment energy of a single adhesion cell on a substrate. The shear force was measured from the deflection of a self-sensitive cantilever that was employed for simple configuration of the AFM manipulator. The behaviors of the shear force of a single cell detaching from the substrate was observed with accuracy of nanonewton order. The shear force and detachment energy of the cell increased with increasing the size of the cell. Slight differences in the shear force of the single cell under different conditions were observed. With respect to different buffers, the shear force of cells in the buffer containing Ca²⁺ was significantly higher than that of cells in the buffer with no containing Ca²⁺. The shear force of cells on a polystyrene dish treated corona discharge for adhesion cells was higher than that of cells on a non-treated polystyrene substrate dish.