An Analytical Model for Membrane Stretch and Chondrocyte Volume Change During Tissue Compression: A Biphasic Inclusion Model

Many recent studies have demonstrated the ability of cells to sense and respond to their mechanical environment. Since the cells respond to physical stimuli by altering their biological function the stimulus must at some point be converted into a biochemical signal. This process is known as mechano-transduction. Both cell volume change and stretch-activated and stretch-inactivated ion channels have been implicated in the mechanical transduction process [1,2]. These and other suggested mechanisms imply that the biological response of a cell is not directly affected by the extracellular mechanical environment but by mechanical disturbances to the cell itself. Therefore, in explant studies focusing on cell response to tissue strain it is necessary to evaluate the deformation of cells (e.g. volume change, membrane stretch). The objective of the current theoretical study was to provide an mathematical model to analyze the deformation of a cell within an explant during a confined compression test (Figure 1).