The material properties of tissues and their mechanical state is an important factor in development, disease, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Here we describe a microrheological measurement technique utilizing aggregates of microinjected ferromagnetic nickel particles to probe the viscoelastic properties of embryonic tissues. Quail embryos were cultured in a plastic incubator chamber located at the center of two pairs of crossed electromagnets. We found a pronounced viscoelastic behavior within the ECM-rich region separating the mesoderm and endoderm in Hamburger Hamilton stage 10 quail embryos, consistent with a Zener (standard generalized solid) model. The viscoelastic response is about 45% of the total response, with a characteristic relaxation time of 1.3 s.
Keywords: ECM; Young's modulus; Zener solid; elasticity; magnetic; microrheology; nanorods; quail embryo.
Copyright © 2020 Akos, Isai, Rajasingh, Kosa, Ghazvini, Dhar and Czirok.