Abstract
A thermodynamic model for cell spreading, based on van der Waals interactions, was developed. The model predicts that for one and the same substrate, spreading will increase with increasing liquid surface tension if the surface tension of the substrate is lower than that of the cells; if the surface tension of the substrate is greater than that of the cells, the opposite trend is predicted. The model also predicts that spreading will increase with increasing surface tension of the solid substrate if the surface tension of the liquid is lower than that of the cells; if the surface tension of the liquid is higher than that of the cells, the opposite trend is predicted. Experiments performed with granulocytes indicated that the predicted dependence of spreading on the liquid surface tension is observed; however, the predicted dependence of spreading on the substrate surface tension is not observed. The experimental results suggest that van der Waals interactions play an important role in the process of cell spreading and that electrostatic interactions cannot be neglected in the analysis of such a process.
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