A mechanostimulation system for revealing intercellular calcium communication in HUVEC networks

This paper reports a mechanostimulation system for studying mechanically induced intercellular calcium signaling in networks of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). By incorporating a capacitive (comb drive) force probe and plasma lithography cell patterning, the roles of biophysical factors, including force, duration, and network architecture, in calcium intercellular communication can be investigated systematically. Particularly, we observed cancellation of calcium waves in linear networks and bi-directional splitting in cross junctions. The effects of key biophysical factors on intercellular calcium wave propagation were studied. These results demonstrate the applicability of the mechanostimulation system in studying intercellular calcium signaling and reveal the robustness of calcium signaling in HUVEC networks, which mimics the vasculature.