Cell mechanical properties and their association with diseases: A concise review of research progress

Cell mechanical properties refer to the behaviors and characteristics of cells in response to mechanical stimuli and regulation of physiological functions, which profoundly affect the functions of cells and subcellular structures. This paper systematically reviews the determinants of cell mechanical properties, including cell membrane viscoelasticity, cytoskeleton dynamics, nuclear-cytoskeleton coupling, and extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, while also reviews the cell mechanical models. A large number of experimental works have shown that pathological conditions significantly alter these mechanical properties: in malaria, sickle cell disease, and diabetes, red blood cells (RBCs) exhibit increased rigidity; compared with normal cells, tumor cells typically show decreased rigidity. This article reviews these changes, and discusses the microscopic and biological reasons. These findings further demonstrate that the study of cell mechanical properties and their association with diseases is a complex bio-chemical-mechanical coupling problem. This work can play a positive role to understand the relations between cellular mechanics and diseases.