Effects of acrylamide and colchicine on the viscoelasticity of rat hepatocytes

A micropipette technique was adopted to address the viscoelasticity and its relevance to microtubules and intermediate filaments in rat hepatocytes by treatment with colchicine (Col), acrylamide (Aery) or combination of both. The results showed that: under the concentrations studied, treatment with Aery, Col or combination of both agents resulted in a significant decrease in cell viscoelasticity. Analysis also indicated that microtubules might be more relevant to cell elasticity than intermediate filaments, as evidenced by changes in the principal elastic coefficient K₁. The interaction between microtubules and intermediate filaments was discussed in terms of cell viscoelasticity for hepatocytes and hepatoma cells.