A critical stress to detach cancer cells in microchannels

Cécile Couzon (1) , Alain Duperray (2) , Claude Verdier (1)

1 LSP - Laboratoire de Spectrométrie Physique
2 INSERM U823 - Institut d'oncologie/développement Albert Bonniot de Grenoble

We present experiments involving T24 cancer cells adhering at the bottom of functionalized microchannels, and subjected to increasing shear rates. Morphological studies have been carried out at different shear stresses. Cells exhibit spreading patterns similar to the ones observed in static conditions, as long as the shear stress is not too high. At a critical value of the wall shear stress, cells start to decrease their area until detachment is achieved for the larger stresses. The influence of microchannel size is also analyzed and shows a slight effect, enhanced for high confinement. To analyze such data, we propose a model to determine the 3D-shear stress necessary to achieve cell area decrease (leading to detachment), as a function of focal adhesion contacts present at the cell-substrate interface. Using this method, the determination of typical forces exerted at each focal contact can be achieved.

Mots clés: Microfluidics; cancer cells; critical stress; focal adhesions

Domaines: Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]; Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]

Cécile Couzon, Alain Duperray, Claude Verdier. A critical stress to detach cancer cells in microchannels. 2008. ⟨hal-00278895v1⟩