Atomic force microscopy as analytical tool to study physico-mechanical properties of intestinal cells

• Christa Schimpel,
• Oliver Werzer,
• Eleonore Fröhlich,
• Gerd Leitinger,
• Markus Absenger-Novak,
• Birgit Teubl,
• Andreas Zimmer and
• Eva Roblegg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1457–1466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.151

• , Austria 10.3762/bjnano.6.151 Abstract The small intestine is a complex system that carries out various functions. The main function of enterocytes is absorption of nutrients, whereas membranous cells (M cells) are responsible for delivering antigens/foreign substances to the mucosal lymphoid tissues

• topographies of Caco-2 cells and M cells. Furthermore, cell elasticity (i.e., the mechanical response of a cell on a tip indentation), was elucidated by force curve measurements. Besides elasticity, adhesion was evaluated by recording the attraction and repulsion forces between the tip and the cell surface

• cytoskeleton/microvilli arrangements and F-actin organization. Caco-2 cells displayed densely packed F-actin bundles covering the entire cell surface, indicating the formation of a well-differentiated brush border. In contrast, in M cells actins were arranged as short and/or truncated thin villi, only

The gut wall provides an effective barrier against nanoparticle uptake

• Heike Sinnecker,
• Thorsten Krause,
• Sabine Koelling,
• Ingmar Lautenschläger and
• Andreas Frey

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2092–2101, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.218

• , specialized cell types such as M cells or dendritic cells exist at certain mucosal sites [24][25]. These gateways, intended for the delivery of antigenic matter to the mucosal immune system, may be hijacked by anthropogenic NPs leading to an accumulation of NPs in gut-associated lympoid tissue as indicated by