Beschreibung:
Viscoelasticity and its alteration in time and space has turned out to act as a key element infundamental biological processes in living systems, such as morphogenesis and motility.Based on experimental and theoretical findings it can be proposed that viscoelasticity ofcells, spheroids and tissues seems to be a collective characteristic that demandsmacromolecular, intracellular component and intercellular interactions. A majorchallenge is to couple the alterations in the macroscopic structural or materialcharacteristics of cells, spheroids and tissues, such as cell and tissue phasetransitions, to the microscopic interferences of their elements. Therefore, thebiophysical technologies need to be improved, advanced and connected to classicalbiological assays. In this review, the viscoelastic nature of cytoskeletal, extracellular andcellular networks is presented and discussed. Viscoelasticity is conceptualized as a majorcontributor to cell migration and invasion and it is discussed whether it can serve as abiomarker for the cells’ migratory capacity in several biological contexts. It can behypothesized that the statistical mechanics of intra- and extracellular networks may beapplied in the future as a powerful tool to explore quantitatively the biomechanicalfoundation of viscoelasticity over a broad range of time and length scales. Finally, theimportance of the cellular viscoelasticity is illustrated in identifying and characterizingmultiple disorders, such as cancer, tissue injuries, acute or chronic inflammations or fibroticdiseases.