Impedance analysis of fibroblastic cell layers measured by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing

Impedance measurements of cell layers cultured on gold electrode surfaces obtained by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing provide morphological information such as junctional resistance and cell-substrate separation. Previously, a model that assumes that cells have a disklike shape and that electric currents flow radially underneath the ventral cell surface and then through the paracellular space has been used to theoretically calculate the impedance of the cell-covered electrode. In this paper we propose an extended model of impedance analysis for cell layers where cellular shape is rectangular. This is especially appropriate for normal fibroblasts in culture. To verify the model, we analyze impedance data obtained from four different kinds of fibroblasts that display a long rectangular shape. In addition, we measure the average cell-substrate separation of human gingival fibroblasts at different temperatures. At temperatures of 37, 22, and 4 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, the average separation between ventral cell surface and substratum are 46, 55, and 89 nm, respectively.