Mechanical Stress and Deformation in Healthy and Senescent Endothelial Cells

Abstract

Endothelial cells are continuously exposed to shear stress from blood flow, which plays a critical role in mechanotransduction and the regulation of cellular behavior. These fluid-induced forces lead to cellular deformation and the transmission of stress to intracellular structures, including the nucleus. Cellular senescence is associated with increased stiffness, which alters how mechanical forces are experienced and distributed within the cell. In this study, a computational model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics® to compare the mechanical responses of healthy and senescent endothelial cells under identical laminar flow conditions. Material properties were defined based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements to capture differences in cellular stiffness. The model assumes steady-state, incompressible, laminar flow and treats the cell and nucleus as isotropic, linearly elastic materials. By quantifying deformation and Von Mises stress distributions, this work evaluates how increased stiffness in senescent cells affects force transmission within the cellular structure.