In this study, based on atomic force microscopy (AFM), we aimed to evaluate the mechanical property of liver cancer stem-like cells (LCSCs) and compare it with human hepatoma cells (HHCs).  AFM nanoindentation was investigated as a method for measuring the cell stiffness, and reflecting by Young׳s modulus.  These results demonstrated a close relationship between the cell Young׳s modulus and metastatic potential of HHCs, which suggest that Young׳s modulus detected by AFM can be used to evaluate metastatic potential of cancer cells.
AFM