Magnetic Nanoparticles for Measurement of Cell Mechanics Using Force-Induced Remnant Magnetization Spectroscopy

Cell mechanics are crucial indicators for cell function and health, controling important biological activities such as cell adhesion, migration, differation, wound healing, and tissue integrity. Particularly the adhesion for cancer cells to extracellular matrix significantly contributes to cancer progression and metastasis. Here we develop magnetic nanoparticle-based force-induced remnant magnetization spectroscopy (FIRMS) as a novel method to measure cell adhesion force. Before FIRMS experiments, interactions of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with cells were investigated from cell mechanics perspective. Subsequently adhesion force for three commonly used cancer cell lines were quantified by FIRMS. Our results indicated that the application of MNPs produced indistinguishable effects on cell viability and cell mechanical properties in the experimental conditions for FIRMS method. Then cell adhesion force was obtained, which provides the force information on different cancer cell types. Our work demonstrates that MNP-based FIRMS can be applied to probe cell adhesion force and offer an alternate means for understanding of cell mechanics.