Interrelations between elastic energy and strain in a tensegrity model: contribution to the analysis of the mechanical response in living cells.

Interactions between the physical and physiological properties of cellular sub-units result in changes in the shape and mechanical behaviour of living tissues. To understand the mechanotransmission processes, models are needed to describe the complex interrelations between the elements and the cytoskeletal structure. In this study, we used a 30-element tensegrity structure to analyse the influence of the type of loading on the mechanical response and shape changes of the cell. Our numerical results, expressed in terms of strain energy as a function of the overall deformation of the tensegrity structure, suggest that changes in cell functions during mechanical stimuli for a given potential energy are correlated to the type of loading applied, which determines the resultant changes in cell shape. The analysis of these cellular deformations may explain the large variability in the response of bone cells submitted to different types of mechanical loading.