Finite Element Model of a Cell Incorporating Cell Membrane, Cytoskeletal Structure and Intracellular Fluid Pressure

Compressive loading is intrinsic to certain tissues in our body like articular cartilage and bone (1). In situ experiments in cartilage suggest that chondrocytes can undergo significant deformation due to compressive loading on the tissue (2). In situ and isolated cell experiments have concluded that cells are quite resilient to compressive loading, aspiration etc. and exhibit a moduli in the range of 0.6 to 2 kPa (3). However, few studies have attempted to understand the compressive behavior of cells in terms of its structural components. The structural components of a cell consist of a membrane and a dense network of at least three elements (actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments). Using finite element analysis techniques we wanted to explore the role of these structural components in determining the ability of the cell to withstand compression.