Advantages of integrating Brillouin microscopy in multimodal mechanical mapping of cells and tissues

Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2024 Mar 11;88:102341. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2024.102341. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTRecent research has highlighted the growing significance of the mechanical properties of cells and tissues in the proper execution of physiological functions within an organism; alterations to these properties can potentially result in various diseases. These mechanical properties can be assessed using various techniques that vary in spatial and temporal resolutions as well as applications. Due to the wide range of mechanical behaviors exhibited by cells and tissues, a singular mapping technique may be insufficient in capturing their complexity and nuance. Consequently, by utilizing a combination of methods-multimodal mechanical mapping-researchers can achieve a more comprehensive characterization of mechanical properties, encompassing factors such as stiffness, modulus, viscoelasticity, and forces. Furthermore, different mapping techniques can provide complementary information and enable the exploration of spatial and temporal variations to enhance our understanding of cellular dynamics and tissue mechanics. By capitalizing on the unique strengths of each method while mitigating their respective limitations, a more precise and holistic understanding of cellular and tissue mechanics can be obtained. Here, we spotlight Brillouin microscopy (BM) as a noncontact, noninvasive, and label-free mechanical mapping modality to be coutilized alongside established mechanical probing...

Source: Current Opinion in Cell Biology - March 12, 2024 Category: Cytology Authors: Chenchen Handler Claudia Testi Giuliano Scarcelli Source Type: research