Development of a Multi-Strain Profile for Cellular Mechanotransduction Testing

Abstract

Mechanosensitive cells, such as osteocytes in bone, are capable of translating mechanical stimuli into cellular responses. This phenomenon can be widely found in cells throughout the body, and yet little is known about the mechanisms and pathways by which this occurs. Research in this field has focused on creating in vitro models that better reflect the in vivo environment in order to study these mechanisms and pathways. Where many variations on these systems exists, one major goal in improving these models is to use fewer cells in order to observe the response of specific cells and possibly more meaningful data. Using an uniaxial loading device, a substrate with cells seeded onto it can be mechanically strained and the response of these fewer cells can be quantified. In this study, two substrates of varying geometry are proposed that allow for a gradient of mechanical strains to be applied to cultured cells. These designs are characterized and compared using both physical and simulated testing. Utilizing designs, such as the ones used for these substrates, enables the effects of a wide range of mechanical strains on cells to be observed and studied under identical culture and loading environments.