Empirical study on grouping behavior of individual endothelial cells under shear stress

It has been recognized that the structure and function of the endothelial monolayer is affected by the applied mechanical stress. Microscopic observation of changes in cell morphology during the imposition of shear stress is necessary to identify the specific mechanism which mediates the cellular response to shear stress. In this study we observed the morphology and migration of individual cultured cells with the wall shear stress of 3 and 5 Pa under an optical microscope. We traced the particular group of cells under view, and examined the behavior of these particular cells during the imposition of shear stress. It was concluded that the initial orientation and shape of cells affect the process of receiving the external shear stress stimulus. The behavior of the individual cell depends on the geometry of surrounding cells. Thus, the external shear stress stimulus results in the "small grouping behavior" , primarily due to the biological and mechanical interaction among cells.