Dissipative particle dynamics simulation of cell entry into a micro-channel

Abstract Cell deformability is an important biomarker which can be used to distinguish and sort between healthy and cancer cells. In this paper, we presented a dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) model for investigating cell entry into micro-channels. The cell membrane is represented by a network of DPD particles (beads) connected by worm-like chain (WLC) springs, which is able to mimic the viscoelastic effect of the membrane. The entry process of benign breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A) and non-metastatic tumor breast cells (MCF-7) through a constricted micro-channel are comparatively investigated using this DPD model. It is shown that both the time histories of the cell displacement and the dynamic behaviors of cell entry agree with experimental observations. The entry time of MCF-10A cell is approximately four times of that of MCF-7 cell since MCF-10A cells are stiffer than MCF-7 cells. It is demonstrated that the presented DPD method is effective in modeling cell deformability, and the obtained results can be helpful in understanding how cells with different mechanical properties respond to physical loads.