Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation of Cells Deformation under Tensile Loading

All cells in the human body are in a complex physiological and mechanical environment, which is regulated by different mechanical forces. Previous studies have mainly focused on characterizing the alterations of cell morphology and biochemical signaling pathway under different mechanical stimuli by means of experimental techniques. However, few studies have explored how cells respond to mechanical stimuli through numerical simulation across multiscale. Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) is used to establish a discrete three-dimensional cell mechanics model in suspension state to study cell morphology remodeling under tension load, and to analyze its mechanical properties, in order to reveal the relationship between structure and function. The simulation results showed that when the stretching force was 40 pN, the cells had changed significantly. The greater the tension, the greater the degree of deformation of cells. When the simulation step is fixed, the stretching time of the cells becomes longer and longer with the increase of the stretching force. Therefore, the response of cells to tensile loads is nonlinear. The model established in this paper provides a reasonable prediction of cell morphological changes during stretching. Our new finding and results shed the light on studying the behavior and function of cells under different mechanical stimuli in three-dimensional environment.