점탄성 유동으로 유도된 세포막 변형 및 물질 전달 효율 분석

초록

Efficient intracellular delivery of biomolecules is vital for cell therapy and genetic engineering. Microfluidic mechanoporation enables physical membrane permeabilization but often causes cell damage under excessive shear stress. Here, we investigated the relationship between viscoelastic flow and intracellular delivery using hyaluronic acid (HA)-based solutions in a constricted microchannel. Jurkat E6.1 cells were processed under varying flow rates (0.5-4 mL/min) and HA concentrations (0-2.0 mg/mL). Increasing flow rate and HA concentration enhanced cell deformation and molecular uptake, while excessive stress reduced recovery. To quantify these effects, elastic and drag stresses acting on cells were estimated using viscoelastic approximations. Delivery efficiency exhibited a strong correlation with elastic stress (R² = 0.925, Boltzmann model), whereas recovery correlated inversely with drag stress (R² = 0.910, logistic model). These results indicate that membrane permeabilization is governed by the balance of elastic and viscous forces, providing a quantitative framework for optimizing viscoelastic mechanoporation systems.

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