In silico modelling of mechanical response of breast cancer cell to interstitial fluid flow

A cell’s mechanical environment regulates biological activities. Several studies have investigated the response of healthy epithelial mammary (MCF10A) and breast cancer (MCF7) cells to vascular and interstitial fluid motion-induced hydrodynamic forces. The mechanical stiffness of healthy and breast cancer cells differ significantly, which can influence the transduction of forces regulating the cell’s invasive behaviour. This aspect has not been well explored in the literature. The present work investigates the mechanical response of MCF10A and MCF7 cells to tissue-level interstitial fluid flow. A two-dimensional fluid flow–cell interaction model is developed based on the actual shapes of the cells, acquired from experimental fluorescent images. The material properties of the cell compartments (cytoplasm and nucleus) were assigned in the model based on the literature. The outcomes indicate that healthy MCF10A cells experience higher von Mises and shear stresses than the MCF7 cells. In addition, the MCF7 cell experiences higher strain and displacements than its healthy counterpart. Thus, the different mechano-responsiveness of MCF10A and MCF7 cells could be responsible for regulating the invasive potential of the cells. This work enhances our understanding of mechanotransduction activities involved in cancer malignancy which can further help in cancer diagnosis based on cell mechanotype.