Real-time and quantitative measurement method for cell traction force

A real-time and quantitative measurement method for cell traction force, comprising the following steps:

• (1) placing an AT-cut quartz crystal and a BT-cut quartz crystal in culture dishes or detection cells, wherein the AT-cut quartz crystal having the same frequency, surface morphology and/or modified surface adhesion molecules as those of the BT-cut quartz crystal;
• and
• (2) adding cells to be tested to the culture dishes or the detection cells, and measuring the cell traction force ΔSt of the cells at an adhesion time t by the following formula:
• ΔSt=(KAT−KBT)−1[tqATΔftAT/frAT−tqBTΔftBT/frBT] (1),
• wherein KAT=2.75×10−12 cm2 dyn−1 and KBT=−2.65×10−12 cm2 dyn−1 are stress coefficients of the AT-cut quartz crystal and the BT-cut quartz crystal respectively;
• frAT is the resonant frequency of the AT-cut quartz crystal, frBT is the resonant frequency of the BT-cut quartz crystal, tqAT is the thickness of the AT-cut quartz crystal, tqBT is the thickness of the BT-cut quartz crystal, and all of which are constants;
• ΔftAT and ΔftBT are the frequency shifts of the AT-cut and BT-cut quartz crystals at any time t relative to their reference points respectively;
• when ΔSt is negative, it indicates that the stress on the cells is a compressive stress, the cells are contracted, and the corresponding extracellular matrices are subjected to a tensile stress equal and opposite to the compressive stress;
• when ΔSt is positive, the stress on the cells is a tensile stress, the cells are spread, and the corresponding extracellular matrices are subjected to a compressive stress equal and opposite to the tensile stress.