Cardiac fibroblasts are the most numerous cells in the heart and are
critical in the formation and normal functioning of the organ. Cardiac
fibroblasts are firmly attached to and surrounded by extracellular matrix
(ECM). Mechanical forces transmitted through interaction with the ECM can
result in changes of overall cellular shape, cytoskeletal organization,
proliferation, and gene expression of cardiac fibroblasts. These responses
may be different in the normally functioning heart, when compared with
various pathological conditions, including inflammation or hypertrophy. It
is apparent that cellular phenotype and physiology, in turn, are affected
by multiple signal transduction pathways modulated directly by the state
of polymerization of the actin cytoskeleton. Morphological changes in
actin organization resulting from response to adverse conditions in
fibroblasts and other cell types are basically descriptive. Some studies
have approached quantifying changes in actin cytoskeletal morphology, but
these have involved complex and difficult procedures. In this study, we
apply image analysis and non-Euclidian geometrical fractal analysis to
quantify and describe changes induced in the actin cytoskeleton of cardiac
fibroblasts responding to mechanical stress. Characterization of these
rapid responses of fibroblasts to mechanical stress may provide insight
into the regulation of fibroblasts behavior and gene expression during
heart development and disease.