Entropy Production Due to Collective Cell Migration

The intricate multi-scale phenomenon of entropy generation, resulting from the inhomogeneous and anisotropic rearrangement of cells during their collective migration, is examined across three distinct regimes: (i) convective, (ii) conductive (diffusion), and (iii) sub-diffusion. The collective movement of epithelial monolayers on substrate matrices induces the accumulation of mechanical stress within the cells, which subsequently influences cell packing density, velocity, and alignment. Variations in these physical parameters affect cell-cell interactions, which play a crucial role in the storage and dissipation of energy within multicellular systems. The internal dynamics of entropy generation, as a consequence of energy dissipation, are characterized in each regime using viscoelastic constitutive models and the surface properties at the cell-matrix biointerface. The focus of this theoretical review is to clarify how cells can modulate their rate of energy dissipation by altering cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion interactions, undergoing changes in shape, and re-establishing polarity due to the contact inhibition of locomotion. We approach these questions by discussing physical aspects of these complex phenomena.