Microrheology of human lung epithelial cells measured by atomic force microscopy

Lung epithelial cells are subjected to large cyclic forces from breathing. However, their response to dynamic stresses is poorly defined. We measured the complex shear modulus (G*(ω)) of human alveolar (A549) and bronchial (BEAS-2B) epithelial cells over three frequency decades (0.1–100 Hz) and at different loading forces (0.1–0.9 nN) with atomic force microscopy. G*(ω) was computed by correcting force-indentation oscillatory data for the tip-cell contact geometry and for the hydrodynamic viscous drag. Both cell types displayed similar viscoelastic properties. The storage modulus G′(ω) increased with frequency following a power law with exponent ∼0.2. The loss modulus G″(ω) was ∼2/3 lower and increased similarly to G′(ω) up to ∼10 Hz, but exhibited a steeper rise at higher frequencies. The cells showed a weak force dependence of G′(ω) and G″(ω). G*(ω) conformed to the power-law model with a structural damping coefficient of ∼0.3, indicating a coupling of elastic and dissipative processes within the cell. Power-law behavior implies a continuum distribution of stress relaxation time constants. This complex dynamics is consistent with the rheology of soft glassy materials close to a glass transition, thereby suggesting that structural disorder and metastability may be fundamental features of cell architecture