Mechanical Modeling and Analyses of Cytoskeleton and Extracellular Matrix

Abstract

The cells and biological tissues need to adapt the complex physiological and mechanical environment in human body. They must withstand the mechanical loads from external environment, and equally important, they often actively produce forces to change their architecture and shape during physiological processes such as tissue growth and repair. The mechanical properties of cells are mainly determined by cytoskeleton, and the stiffness of biological tissues is greatly affected by extracellular matrix. Microscopically, cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix are intricate, heterogeneous 3D networks of crosslinked biopolymers. Early studies mainly focused on explaining the universal features such as the nonlinear response and strain stiffening of these biopolymer networks by constructing various network models. In recent years, with the simultaneous progress in experimental methods, theoretical models and computational techniques, more intriguing mechanical behaviors and underlying mechanisms of these living matters have been revealed. In this review, we online some of the major advances in modeling and analyzing cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix, including the dynamic crosslinking, active materials originated from mechanochemical coupling of biopolymers, plasticity/fracture of crosslinked networks, and self-adaption triggered by mechanical training. These modeling and analyses may help to quantify the complex behaviors of cells and tissues, deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanobiological mechanisms, and provide guidance for synthetic biological materials and tissue engineering.