Involvement of substrate elasticity in shock wave induced intracellular Ca²⁺ increase

Abstract

Shock wave irradiation accelerates angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Thus, it could be possible that shock wave induce physiological responses in cells. At cellular level, shock wave irradiation evokes the intracellular Ca²⁺ increase. In this evoking, actin cytoskeleton is involved. To verify this involvement of actin cytoskeleton in the evoking of intracellular Ca²⁺ increase, elasticity of cell substrates was altered to control actin cytoskeleton in bovine aortic endothelial cells. The elasticities used in this study were ~10 kPa through ~1 MPa. Elasticity was altered by altering ratio of base and curing agents of PDMS. When elasticity of cellular substrate was lowed, the intracellular Ca²⁺ increase represented 2 patterns: one is that Ca²⁺ increase with the second and subsequent irradiation and another not increase. Thus, it was further suggested that actin cytoskeleton is involved in shock wave irradiation induced intracellular Ca²⁺ increase.