Mechanical stimuli differentially control stem cell behavior: morphology, proliferation, and differentiation.

ABSTRACT: Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has demonstrated applications in vascular regenerative medicine. Although blood vessels exist in a mechanically dynamic environment, there has been no rigorous, systematic analysis of mechanical stimulation on stem cell differentiation. We hypothesize that mechanical stimuli, relevant to the vasculature, can differentiate MSCs toward smooth muscle (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs). This was tested using a unique experimental platform to differentially apply various mechanical stimuli in parallel. Three forces, cyclic stretch, cyclic pressure, and laminar shear stress, were applied independently to mimic several vascular physiologic conditions. Experiments were conducted using subconfluent MSCs for 5 days and demonstrated significant effects on morpholog

SUBMITTER: Maul TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3208754 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature