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Dielectrophoresis-Mediated Electrodeformation as a Means of Determining Individual Platelet Stiffness

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Abstract

Platelets, essential for hemostasis, are easily activated via biochemical and mechanical stimuli. Cell stiffness is a vital parameter modulating the mechano-transduction of exogenous mechanical stimuli. While methods exist to measure cell stiffness, no ready method exists for measuring platelet stiffness that is both minimally-contacting, imparting minimal exogenous force and non-activating. We developed a minimal-contact methodology capable of trapping and measuring the stiffness of individual platelets utilizing dielectrophoresis (DEP)-mediated electrodeformation. Parametric studies demonstrate a non-uniform electric field in the MHz frequency range (0.2–20 MHz) is required for generating effective DEP forces on platelets, suspended in isotonic buffer with conductivity ~100–200 μS/cm. A nano-Newton DEP force (0.125–4.5 nN) was demonstrated to be essential for platelet electrodeformation, which could be generated with an electric field with strength of 1.5–9 V/μm. Young’s moduli of platelets were calculated using a Maxwell stress tensor model and stress-deformation relationship. Platelet stiffness was determined to be in the range of 3.5 ± 1.4 and 8.5 ± 1.5 kPa for resting and 0.4% paraformaldehyde-treated cells, respectively. The developed methodology fills a gap in approaches of measuring individual platelet stiffness, free of inadvertent platelet activation, which will facilitate further studies of mechanisms involved in mechanically-mediated platelet activation.

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Funding

Funding was provided by NIH/NIBIB Quantum 1U01 EBO 12487.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Siu Ling Leung & Marvin J. Slepian

  2. Sarver Heart Center, The University of Arizona, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA

    Siu Ling Leung & Marvin J. Slepian

  3. Departments of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Yi Lu

  4. Department of Biomedical Engineering, HSC T15-090, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-8151, USA

    Danny Bluestein & Marvin J. Slepian

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  1. Siu Ling Leung
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  2. Yi Lu
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Correspondence to Marvin J. Slepian.

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Associate Editor Aleksander S. Popel oversaw the review of this article.

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Leung, S.L., Lu, Y., Bluestein, D. et al. Dielectrophoresis-Mediated Electrodeformation as a Means of Determining Individual Platelet Stiffness. Ann Biomed Eng 44, 903–913 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-015-1383-7

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