An Analytical Solution for Flexible Substrates Undergoing Small Equibiaxial Strains Available to Purchase

Cells can distinguish between different types of mechanical signals, such as stretch (tension), pressure (compression), and shear, to guide mechanosensitive cellular activities. Cell culture systems with controlled delivery of a mechanical input such as substrate strain, hydrostatic pressure, or fluid shear stress are used for the in vitro application of these forces. The work reported here uses a system that imparts equibiaxial loading on a flexible substrate to study cell response to stretch, similar to the Bioflex in the Flexcell [1] family of products. The objective of this study is to introduce an analytical (closed-form) solution of the relationship between the substrate strain and pressure under small strains, less than 2%. The solution is derived from the superposition of two elastic responses induced in the equibiaxial strain culture system after applying pressure.