Biomechanical Properties of Fibroblasts

摘要

We presented different aspects of fi- broblast mechanics, probed with modern micromanipulation tools, and we dis- cussed the orders of magnitude of the physical characteristics that describe the mechanical phenomena. Besides a purely passive viscoelastic description, experi- ments suggest a well-regulated active re- sponse of the cell, powered by chemical energy and molecular motors, and react- ing precisely to external mechanical stimulation.