DEFORMATION RESPONSE OF POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE SUBSTRATES SUBJECTED TO UNIAXIAL QUASI-STATIC LOADING

To investigate cellular response of cardiomyocytes to substrate mechanics, biocompatible material with stiffness in physiological range is needed. PDMS based material is used for construction of microfluidic organ on chip devices for cell culture due to ease of device preparation, bonding, and possibility of surface functionalization. However it has stiffness orders of magnitude out of physiological range. Therefore, we adapted recently available protocol aiming to prepare substrates which offer stiffness in physiological range 5 - 100 kPa using various mixtures of Sylgard. An in-house developed loading device with single micron position tracking accuracy and sub-micron position sensitivity was adapted for this experimental campaign. All batches of the samples were subjected to uniaxial loading. During quasi-static experiment the samples were compressed to minimally 40 % deformation. The results are represented in the form of stress-strain curves calculated from the acquired force and displacement data and elastic moduli are estimated.