Teaching strategies for resolving gastrointestinal function from the perspective of cell biomechanics
Abstract
Traditional gastrointestinal function teaching focuses on biochemical and physiological regulation, but fails to explore the effects of mechanical forces on gastrointestinal cell behavior and function, resulting in students’ one-sided understanding of gastrointestinal function. This paper proposes a new teaching strategy by combining cell biomechanics with teaching to help students master the gastrointestinal function mechanism more comprehensively. First, the membrane elasticity of gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells is measured. The elastic modulus is calculated by combining the Hertz model and the applied force is controlled to avoid cell membrane damage. Elasticity change data is obtained. Then, a flexible substrate is used to apply stretching and low frequency to simulate the mechanical force of cells during peristalsis and monitor the fluctuation of calcium ion concentration. Then, the distribution of intercellular cadherin is analyzed, and mechanical force is used to accelerate the permeability of gap junctions and the expression of Connexin43 to promote signal transmission. Finally, a teaching experiment based on cell biomechanics is designed, covering cell culture, mechanical stimulation, quantitative analysis and molecular biology verification, to help students understand how mechanical forces affect gastrointestinal cell behavior and function. The results show that before and after the application of the cell biomechanics teaching strategy, the students’ test scores increase by 16%, and the experimental results are good. Applying biomechanical factors into teaching by combining teaching strategies with cell biomechanics has a positive effect on medical education.
References
1. Yin J, Sunuwar L, Kasendra M, et al. Fluid shear stress enhances differentiation of jejunal human enteroids in Intestine-Chip[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2021, 320(3): G258-G271.
2. Bhattarai A, Horbach A J, Staat M, et al. Virgin passive colon biomechanics and a literature review of active contraction constitutive models[J]. Biomechanics, 2022, 2(2): 138-157.DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/biomechanics2020013
3. Shin W, Kim H J. 3D in vitro morphogenesis of human intestinal epithelium in a gut-on-a-chip or a hybrid chip with a cell culture insert[J]. Nature protocols, 2022, 17(3): 910-939.
4. Liu Z L, Li H, Qiang Y, et al. Computational modeling of biomechanics and biorheology of heated red blood cells[J]. Biophysical Journal, 2021, 120(21): 4663-4671.DOI:10.1016/j.bpj.2021.09.038
5. Wang X, Alkaabi F, Choi M, et al. Surface mapping of gastric motor functions using MRI: a comparative study between humans and rats[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2024, 327(3): G345-G359.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpgi.00045.2024
6. Taghadosi H, Tabatabai Ghomsheh F, Jafarnia Dabanloo N, et al. Ionic Channel Blockage Effect on the Electromechanical Model of Human Gastric Wall Smooth Muscle Cells[J]. Iranian Journal of Mechanical Engineering Transactions of the ISME, 2022, 23(2): 33-47.
7. Wang X, Cao J, Han K, et al. Diffeomorphic surface modeling for MRI-based characterization of gastric anatomy and motility[J]. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2023, 70(7): 2046-2057.
8. Hayward M K, Muncie J M, Weaver V M. Tissue mechanics in stem cell fate, development, and cancer[J]. Developmental cell, 2021, 56(13): 1833-1847.
9. Kim S, Uroz M, Bays J L, et al. Harnessing mechanobiology for tissue engineering[J]. Developmental cell, 2021, 56(2): 180-191.DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2020.12.017
10. Sachs L, Denker C, Greinacher A, et al. Quantifying single‐platelet biomechanics: An outsider’s guide to biophysical methods and recent advances[J]. Research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis, 2020, 4(3): 386-401.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/rth2.12313
11. Gensbittel V, Kräter M, Harlepp S, et al. Mechanical adaptability of tumor cells in metastasis[J]. Developmental cell, 2021, 56(2): 164-179.
12. Ji H, Hu J, Zuo S, et al. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion and fermentation models and their applications in food carbohydrates[J]. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 2022, 62(19): 5349-5371.
13. Puleri D F, Balogh P, Randles A. Computational models of cancer cell transport through the microcirculation[J]. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 2021, 20(4): 1209-1230.
14. Lang I M, Medda B K, Kern M, et al. A biomechanical response of the esophagus participates in swallowing[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2023, 324(2): G131-G141.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpgi.00219.2022
15. Mercado-Perez A, Beyder A. Gut feelings: mechanosensing in the gastrointestinal tract[J]. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2022, 19(5): 283-296. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-021-00561-y
16. Li Y, Kong F. Simulating human gastrointestinal motility in dynamic in vitro models[J]. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2022, 21(5): 3804-3833.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13007
17. Feng B, Guo T. Visceral pain from colon and rectum: the mechanotransduction and biomechanics[J]. Journal of Neural Transmission, 2020, 127(4): 415-429.
18. Taghadosi H, Tabatabai Ghomsheh F, Farajidavar A, et al. Electromechanical modeling and simulation of the physiological state of human gastric wall smooth muscle cells[J]. Computational Sciences and Engineering, 2022, 2(1): 9-19.
19. McGinn J, Hallou A, Han S, et al. A biomechanical switch regulates the transition towards homeostasis in oesophageal epithelium[J]. Nature Cell Biology, 2021, 23(5): 511-525.
20. McCallinhart P E, Scandling B W, Trask A J. Coronary remodeling and biomechanics: Are we going with the flow in 2020?[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2021, 320(2): H584-H592.
21. Moshiri J, Craven A R, Mixon S B, et al. Mechanosensitive extrusion of Enterovirus A71-infected cells from colonic organoids[J]. Nature Microbiology, 2023, 8(4): 629-639.
22. Rajagopal V, Arumugam S, Hunter P J, et al. The cell physiome: what do we need in a computational physiology framework for predicting single-cell biology?[J]. Annual Review of Biomedical Data Science, 2022, 5(1): 341-366.
23. Miller C P, Shin W, Ahn E H, et al. Engineering microphysiological immune system responses on chips[J]. Trends in biotechnology, 2020, 38(8): 857-872.
24. Eichinger J F, Grill M J, Kermani I D, et al. A computational framework for modeling cell–matrix interactions in soft biological tissues[J]. Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology, 2021, 20(5): 1851-1870.
25. Clarke J O, Ahuja N K, Fernandez‐Becker N Q, et al. The functional lumen imaging probe in gastrointestinal disorders: the past, present, and future[J]. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2020, 1482(1): 16-25.
26. Clevenger A J, Crawford L Z, Noltensmeyer D, et al. Rapid prototypable biomimetic peristalsis bioreactor capable of concurrent shear and multi-axial strain[J]. Cells Tissues Organs, 2023, 212(1): 96-110.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1159/000521752
27. Salipante P F, Hudson S D, Alimperti S. Blood vessel-on-a-chip examines the biomechanics of microvasculature[J]. Soft Matter, 2022, 18(1): 117-125.
28. Zifan A, Gandu V, Mittal R K. Esophageal wall compliance/stiffness during peristalsis in patients with functional dysphagia and high-amplitude esophageal contractions[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2022, 323(6): G586-G593.
29. Iriarte-Mesa C, Jobst M, Bergen J, et al. Morphology-Dependent Interaction of Silica Nanoparticles with Intestinal Cells: Connecting Shape to Barrier Function[J]. Nano Letters, 2023, 23(16): 7758-7766.
30. Whitehead K M, Hendricks H K L, Cakir S N, et al. ECM roles and biomechanics in cardiac tissue decellularization[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2022, 323(3): H585-H596.
31. Shergill A K, Rempel D, Barr A, et al. Biomechanical risk factors associated with distal upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in endoscopists performing colonoscopy[J]. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2021, 93(3): 704-711. e3.DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2020.11.001
32. Xin Y, Kang B S, Zheng Y P, et al. Biophysical properties of corneal cells reflect high myopia progression[J]. Biophysical journal, 2021, 120(16): 3498-3507.
33. Feng L, Hu Y L, Ma P, et al. Decellularized gastric matrix as a mesh for gastric perforation repair[J]. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 2021, 109(3): 451-462.
34. Li W, Li P, Li N, et al. Matrix stiffness and shear stresses modulate hepatocyte functions in a fibrotic liver sinusoidal model[J]. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2021, 320(3): G272-G282.
35. Monaco A, Choi D, Uzun S, et al. Association of mast-cell-related conditions with hypermobile syndromes: a review of the literature[J]. Immunologic research, 2022, 70(4): 419-431.
36. Castro-López C, Romero-Luna H E, García H S, et al. Key stress response mechanisms of probiotics during their journey through the digestive system: a review[J]. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, 2023, 15(5): 1250-1270.
37. Schar M S, Omari T I, Woods C M, et al. Altered swallowing biomechanics in people with moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea[J]. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2021, 17(9): 1793-1803.
38. Poole K. The diverse physiological functions of mechanically activated ion channels in mammals[J]. Annual Review of Physiology, 2022, 84(1): 307-329.
Copyright (c) 2024 Bo Qian, Zihao Qin, Shuo Liu, Fuzhen Wan, Rui Yu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright on all articles published in this journal is retained by the author(s), while the author(s) grant the publisher as the original publisher to publish the article.
Articles published in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which means they can be shared, adapted and distributed provided that the original published version is cited.
Submit a Paper
