Analysis of elastic properties of outer hair cell wall using shell theory

Abstract

In this study, the mechanical properties of the lateral wall of the outer hair cell (OHC) are determined theoretically. First, the cell is modeled as a cylindrical two-layer shell consisting of the plasma membrane and the cortical lattice. When the stiffness of the plasma membrane is set to be 1.0 mN/m based on the estimated value of Tolomeo et al. [Biophys. J. 71 (1996) 421–429], and Poisson’s ratio of the plasma membrane is assumed to be 0.90, the relationships between the stiffness, Poisson’s ratio and the orthotropism of the cortical lattice are obtained by comparing the measurement results of cell inflation by Iwasa and Chadwick [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 92 (1992) 3169–3173] with the numerical ones obtained with our model. Next, the obtained relationships between these mechanical properties of the cell are applied to the model, and the result of the cell length change due to the axial compression measured by Hallworth [J. Neurophysiol. 74 (1995) 2319–2329] is compared with that obtained from our numerical analysis. As a result, the axial and circumferential stiffnesses of the cortical lattice are evaluated to be 4.6 mN/m and 13 mN/m, respectively. Then, the contribution of the cortical lattice to the stiffness of the OHC lateral wall is examined. When the stiffness of the plasma membrane is less than 1.0 mN/m, the mechanical properties of the cortical lattice obtained from the two-layer shell model are nearly the same as those of the cell lateral wall obtained from the one-layer orthotropic shell model. Therefore, it is concluded that the stiffness of the cortical lattice is responsible for that of the whole lateral wall of the OHC. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the OHC obtained in this study are compared with those reported previously, and it is suggested that the one-layer orthotropic shell model is sufficient for further analyses of the motility and force production of the OHC.