Morphological and acoustical changes of endothelium by fluid shear stress

Fluid shear stress was applied on the cultured endothelial cells by a continuous flow pump. After 24 hrs of flow stress, the morphological changes and acoustic properties were determined by a specially developed acoustic microscope system with a frequency range between 100 and 210 MHz. The shape of the cells was elongated along a flow direction, and the sound speed of the cytoplasm showed an increasing trend. Acoustic microscopy should be a useful tool for examining the biomechanics of the cells, because it can provide, both the morphological and physical properties of the cells in a short time