Polarization affects viscoelasticity and podosome distribution of primary human macrophages

Pro-inflammatory primary human macrophages show lower elastic modulus (E = 458.8 {+/-} 179.9 Pa) and higher dissipation than anti-inflammatory macrophages.

• Why it matters: Macrophage behavior depends on polarization, yet how mechanical state links to polarization and podosome organization in human cells remains insufficiently quantified.
• What they did: Using atomic force microscopy, the study measured single-cell viscoelastic properties of unstimulated, pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory monocyte-derived primary human macrophages and compared them with podosome distribution.
• The result: Mechanical differences were independent of cell morphology but correlated with podosome organization: pro-inflammatory cells had a dispersed pattern, while anti-inflammatory cells were more clustered.

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