A hyperelastic model for mechanical responses of adherent cells in microinjection

Single cell microinjection is widely used in biological sciences, especially in genetic engineering and cytopathology. To investigate mechanical responses of the adherent cell in microinjection, a general geometrical description of adherent cells in microinjection is proposed. Based on finite strain theory in isotropic hyperelasticity and minimal potential energy principle, a hyperelastic model of the adherent cell is developed. Factors affecting the interaction force and the stress distribution in the adherent cell penetration are revealed and analyzed. The force-deformation relationship obtained in the proposed model shows high similarity with classical Hertz model, while more detailed mechanical behaviours of the adherent cell in microinjection can be discovered from the proposed model.