1
|
Carrara E, Soliveri L, Poloni S, Bozzetto M, Campiglio CE. Effects of high-frequency mechanical stimuli on flow related vascular cell biology. Int J Artif Organs 2024:3913988241268105. [PMID: 39166431 DOI: 10.1177/03913988241268105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Mechanical forces related to blood pressure and flow patterns play a crucial role in vascular homeostasis. Perturbations in vascular stresses and strain resulting from changes in hemodynamic may occur in pathological conditions, leading to vascular dysfunction as well as in vascular prosthesis, arteriovenous shunt for hemodialysis and in mechanical circulation support. Turbulent-like blood flows can induce high-frequency vibrations of the vessel wall, and this stimulus has recently gained attention as potential contributors to vascular pathologies, such as development of intimal hyperplasia in arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis. However, the biological response of vascular cells to this stimulus remains incompletely understood. This review provides an analysis of the existing literature concerning the impact of high-frequency stimuli on vascular cell morphology, function, and gene expression. Morphological and functional investigations reveal that vascular cells stimulated at frequencies higher than the normal heart rate exhibit alterations in cell shape, alignment, and proliferation, potentially leading to vessel remodeling. Furthermore, vibrations modulate endothelial and smooth muscle cells gene expression, affecting pathways related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle hypertrophy. Understanding the effects of high-frequency vibrations on vascular cells is essential for unraveling the mechanisms underlying vascular diseases and identifying potential therapeutic targets. Nevertheless, there are still gaps in our understanding of the molecular pathways governing these cellular responses. Further research is necessary to elucidate these mechanisms and their therapeutic implications for vascular diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Carrara
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Luca Soliveri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Sofia Poloni
- Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Bergamo, Dalmine, Italy
| | - Michela Bozzetto
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Chiara Emma Campiglio
- Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering, University of Bergamo, Dalmine, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ren C, Chang Z, Li K, Wang X, Wang D, Xu Y, Li X, Li Q. Impact of uniaxial cyclic stretching on matrix-associated endothelial cell responses. Mater Today Bio 2024; 27:101152. [PMID: 39104901 PMCID: PMC11298614 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Uniaxial cyclic stretching plays a pivotal role in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, influencing cell behaviors and functionality based on physical properties, including matrix morphology and mechanical stimuli. This study delves into the response of endothelial cells to uniaxial cyclic strain within the geometric constraints of micro-nano fibers. Various structural scaffold forms of poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL), such as flat membranes, randomly oriented fiber membranes, and aligned fiber membranes, were fabricated through solvent casting and electrospinning methods. Our investigation focuses on the morphological variation of endothelial cells under diverse geometric constraints and the mechanical-dependent release of nitric oxide (NO) on oriented fibrous membranes. Our results indicate that while uniaxial cyclic stretching promotes endothelial cell spreading, the anisotropy of the matrix morphology remains the primary driving factor for cell alignment. Additionally, uniaxial cyclic stretching significantly enhances NO release, with a notably stronger effect correlated to the increasing strain amplitude. Importantly, this study reveals that uniaxial cyclic stretching enhances the mRNA expression of key proteins, including talin, vinculin, rac, and nitric oxide synthase (eNOS).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cuihong Ren
- School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Zhonghua Chang
- Institute of Laser Manufacturing, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450046, PR China
| | - Kecheng Li
- School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Xiaofeng Wang
- School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Dongfang Wang
- School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Yiyang Xu
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Xiaomeng Li
- School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Qian Li
- School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
- National Center for International Research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang H, Liu Y, Xu S, Wang T, Chen X, Jia H, Dong Q, Zhang H, Wang S, Ma H, Hou Z. Proteomics analysis of deep fascia in acute compartment syndrome. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305275. [PMID: 38950026 PMCID: PMC11216580 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a syndrome in which local circulation is affected due to increased pressure within the compartment. We previously found in patients with calf fractures, the pressure of fascial compartment could be sharply reduced upon the appearance of tension blisters. Deep fascia, as the important structure for compartment, might play key role in this process. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the differences in gene profile in deep fascia tissue in fracture patients of the calf with or without tension blisters, and to explore the role of fascia in pressure improvement in ACS. Patients with lower leg fracture were enrolled and divided into control group (CON group, n = 10) without tension blister, and tension blister group (TB group, n = 10). Deep fascia tissues were collected and LC-MS/MS label-free quantitative proteomics were performed. Genes involved in fascia structure and fibroblast function were further validated by Western blot. The differentially expressed proteins were found to be mainly enriched in pathways related to protein synthesis and processing, stress fiber assembly, cell-substrate adhesion, leukocyte mediated cytotoxicity, and cellular response to stress. Compared with the CON group, the expression of Peroxidasin homolog (PXDN), which promotes the function of fibroblasts, and Leukocyte differentiation antigen 74 (CD74), which enhances the proliferation of fibroblasts, were significantly upregulated (p all <0.05), while the expression of Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), which is involved in collagen hydrolysis, and Neutrophil elastase (ELANE), which is involved in elastin hydrolysis, were significantly reduced in the TB group (p all <0.05), indicating fascia tissue underwent microenvironment reconstruction during ACS. In summary, the ACS accompanied by blisters is associated with the enhanced function and proliferation of fibroblasts and reduced hydrolysis of collagen and elastin. The adaptive alterations in the stiffness and elasticity of the deep fascia might be crucial for pressure release of ACS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haofei Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Sujuan Xu
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Department of Nephrology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Xiaojun Chen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Huiyang Jia
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Qi Dong
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Huijie Ma
- Department of Physiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| | - Zhiyong Hou
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Orthopaedic Research Institution of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Intelligent Orthopaedic Equipment, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Coppini A, Falconieri A, Mualem O, Nasrin SR, Roudon M, Saper G, Hess H, Kakugo A, Raffa V, Shefi O. Can repetitive mechanical motion cause structural damage to axons? Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1371738. [PMID: 38912175 PMCID: PMC11191579 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1371738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Biological structures have evolved to very efficiently generate, transmit, and withstand mechanical forces. These biological examples have inspired mechanical engineers for centuries and led to the development of critical insights and concepts. However, progress in mechanical engineering also raises new questions about biological structures. The past decades have seen the increasing study of failure of engineered structures due to repetitive loading, and its origin in processes such as materials fatigue. Repetitive loading is also experienced by some neurons, for example in the peripheral nervous system. This perspective, after briefly introducing the engineering concept of mechanical fatigue, aims to discuss the potential effects based on our knowledge of cellular responses to mechanical stresses. A particular focus of our discussion are the effects of mechanical stress on axons and their cytoskeletal structures. Furthermore, we highlight the difficulty of imaging these structures and the promise of new microscopy techniques. The identification of repair mechanisms and paradigms underlying long-term stability is an exciting and emerging topic in biology as well as a potential source of inspiration for engineers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Oz Mualem
- Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan Institute of Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Syeda Rubaiya Nasrin
- Graduate School of Science, Division of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Marine Roudon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gadiel Saper
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Henry Hess
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Akira Kakugo
- Graduate School of Science, Division of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Orit Shefi
- Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan Institute of Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jorba I, Gussenhoven S, van der Pol A, Groenen BG, van Zon M, Goumans MJ, Kurniawan NA, Ristori T, Bouten CV. Steering cell orientation through light-based spatiotemporal modulation of the mechanical environment. Biofabrication 2024; 16:035011. [PMID: 38574554 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad3aa6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The anisotropic organization of cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for the physiological function of numerous biological tissues, including the myocardium. This organization changes gradually in space and time, during disease progression such as myocardial infarction. The role of mechanical stimuli has been demonstrated to be essential in obtaining, maintaining and de-railing this organization, but the underlying mechanisms are scarcely known. To enable the study of the mechanobiological mechanisms involved,in vitrotechniques able to spatiotemporally control the multiscale tissue mechanical environment are thus necessary. Here, by using light-sensitive materials combined with light-illumination techniques, we fabricated 2D and 3Din vitromodel systems exposing cells to multiscale, spatiotemporally resolved stiffness anisotropies. Specifically, spatial stiffness anisotropies spanning from micron-sized (cellular) to millimeter-sized (tissue) were achieved. Moreover, the light-sensitive materials allowed to introduce the stiffness anisotropies at defined timepoints (hours) after cell seeding, facilitating the study of their temporal effects on cell and tissue orientation. The systems were tested using cardiac fibroblasts (cFBs), which are known to be crucial for the remodeling of anisotropic cardiac tissue. We observed that 2D stiffness micropatterns induced cFBs anisotropic alignment, independent of the stimulus timing, but dependent on the micropattern spacing. cFBs exhibited organized alignment also in response to 3D stiffness macropatterns, dependent on the stimulus timing and temporally followed by (slower) ECM co-alignment. In conclusion, the developed model systems allow improved fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanobiological factors that steer cell and ECM orientation, such as stiffness guidance and boundary constraints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ignasi Jorba
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sil Gussenhoven
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Atze van der Pol
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Bart Gw Groenen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Zon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marie José Goumans
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Nicholas A Kurniawan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Tommaso Ristori
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Carlijn Vc Bouten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Okura K, Matsumoto T, Narita A, Tatsumi H. Mechanical Stress Decreases the Amplitude of Twisting and Bending Fluctuations of Actin Filaments. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:168295. [PMID: 37783285 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
A variety of biological roles of mechanical forces have been proposed in cell biology, such as cell signaling pathways for survival, development, growth, and differentiation. Mechanical forces alter the mechanical conditions within cells and their environment, which strongly influences the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Single-molecule imaging studies of actin filaments have led to the hypothesis that the actin filament acts as a mechanosensor; e.g., increases in actin filament tension alter their conformation and affinity for regulatory proteins. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying how tension modulates the mechanical behavior of a single actin filament is still incomplete. In this study, a direct measurement of the twisting and bending of a fluorescently labeled single actin filament under different tension levels by force application (0.8-3.4 pN) was performed using single-molecule fluorescence polarization (SMFP) microscopy. The results showed that the amplitude of twisting and bending fluctuations of a single actin filament decreased with increasing tension. Electron micrograph analysis of tensed filaments also revealed that the fluctuations in the crossover length of actin filaments decreased with increasing filament tension. Possible molecular mechanisms underlying these results involving the binding of actin-binding proteins, such as cofilin, to the filament are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Okura
- Department of Applied Bioscience, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Tomoharu Matsumoto
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Sciences, Nagoya University, 464-8601 Nagoya, Japan
| | - Akihiro Narita
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Sciences, Nagoya University, 464-8601 Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Tatsumi
- Department of Applied Bioscience, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Ishikawa, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Giverso C, Loy N, Lucci G, Preziosi L. Cell orientation under stretch: A review of experimental findings and mathematical modelling. J Theor Biol 2023; 572:111564. [PMID: 37391125 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
The key role of electro-chemical signals in cellular processes had been known for many years, but more recently the interplay with mechanics has been put in evidence and attracted substantial research interests. Indeed, the sensitivity of cells to mechanical stimuli coming from the microenvironment turns out to be relevant in many biological and physiological circumstances. In particular, experimental evidence demonstrated that cells on elastic planar substrates undergoing periodic stretches, mimicking native cyclic strains in the tissue where they reside, actively reorient their cytoskeletal stress fibres. At the end of the realignment process, the cell axis forms a certain angle with the main stretching direction. Due to the importance of a deeper understanding of mechanotransduction, such a phenomenon was studied both from the experimental and the mathematical modelling point of view. The aim of this review is to collect and discuss both the experimental results on cell reorientation and the fundamental features of the mathematical models that have been proposed in the literature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Giverso
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin, 10126, Italy.
| | - Nadia Loy
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin, 10126, Italy.
| | - Giulio Lucci
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin, 10126, Italy.
| | - Luigi Preziosi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin, 10126, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lien JC, Wang YL. Cyclic stretching combined with cell-cell adhesion is sufficient for inducing cell intercalation. Biophys J 2023; 122:3146-3158. [PMID: 37408306 PMCID: PMC10432222 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the important role of cell intercalation within a collective has long been recognized particularly for morphogenesis, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the possibility that cellular responses to cyclic stretching play a major role in this process. By applying synchronized imaging and cyclic stretching to epithelial cells cultured on micropatterned polyacrylamide (PAA) substrates, we discovered that uniaxial cyclic stretching induces cell intercalation along with cell shape change and cell-cell interfacial remodeling. The process involved intermediate steps as previously reported for cell intercalation during embryonic morphogenesis, including the appearance of cell vertices, anisotropic vertex resolution, and directional expansion of cell-cell interface. Using mathematical modeling, we further found that cell shape change in conjunction with dynamic cell-cell adhesions was sufficient to account for the observations. Further investigation with small-molecule inhibitors indicated that disruption of myosin II activities suppressed cyclic stretching-induced intercalation while inhibiting the appearance of oriented vertices. Inhibition of Wnt signaling did not suppress stretch-induced cell shape change but disrupted cell intercalation and vertex resolution. Our results suggest that cyclic stretching, by inducing cell shape change and reorientation in the presence of dynamic cell-cell adhesions, can induce at least some aspects of cell intercalation and that this process is dependent in distinct ways on myosin II activities and Wnt signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Chien Lien
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Yu-Li Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Colombi A, Preziosi L, Scianna M. Modelling Cell Orientation Under Stretch: The Effect of Substrate Elasticity. Bull Math Biol 2023; 85:79. [PMID: 37460873 PMCID: PMC10352433 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-023-01180-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
When cells are seeded on a cyclically deformed substrate like silicon, they tend to reorient their major axis in two ways: either perpendicular to the main stretching direction, or forming an oblique angle with it. However, when the substrate is very soft such as a collagen gel, the oblique orientation is no longer observed, and the cells align either along the stretching direction, or perpendicularly to it. To explain this switch, we propose a simplified model of the cell, consisting of two elastic elements representing the stress fiber/focal adhesion complexes in the main and transverse directions. These elements are connected by a torsional spring that mimics the effect of crosslinking molecules among the stress fibers, which resist shear forces. Our model, consistent with experimental observations, predicts that there is a switch in the asymptotic behaviour of the orientation of the cell determined by the stiffness of the substratum, related to a change from a supercritical bifurcation scenario, whereby the oblique configuration is stable for a sufficiently large stiffness, to a subcritical bifurcation scenario at a lower stiffness. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of cell elongation and find that the region of the parameter space leading to an oblique orientation decreases as the cell becomes more elongated. This implies that elongated cells, such as fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, are more likely to maintain an oblique orientation with respect to the main stretching direction. Conversely, rounder cells, such as those of epithelial or endothelial origin, are more likely to switch to a perpendicular or parallel orientation on soft substrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annachiara Colombi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy
| | - Luigi Preziosi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy.
| | - Marco Scianna
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange", Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Li Y, Kučera O, Cuvelier D, Rutkowski DM, Deygas M, Rai D, Pavlovič T, Vicente FN, Piel M, Giannone G, Vavylonis D, Akhmanova A, Blanchoin L, Théry M. Compressive forces stabilize microtubules in living cells. NATURE MATERIALS 2023; 22:913-924. [PMID: 37386067 PMCID: PMC10569437 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01578-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules are cytoskeleton components with unique mechanical and dynamic properties. They are rigid polymers that alternate phases of growth and shrinkage. Nonetheless, the cells can display a subset of stable microtubules, but it is unclear whether microtubule dynamics and mechanical properties are related. Recent in vitro studies suggest that microtubules have mechano-responsive properties, being able to stabilize their lattice by self-repair on physical damage. Here we study how microtubules respond to cycles of compressive forces in living cells and find that microtubules become distorted, less dynamic and more stable. This mechano-stabilization depends on CLASP2, which relocates from the end to the deformed shaft of microtubules. This process seems to be instrumental for cell migration in confined spaces. Overall, these results demonstrate that microtubules in living cells have mechano-responsive properties that allow them to resist and even counteract the forces to which they are subjected, being a central mediator of cellular mechano-responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Li
- Univ. Paris, INSERM, CEA, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France
- Univ. Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, INRA, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, Laboratoire de Phyiologie Cellulaire & Végétale, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble, France
| | - Ondřej Kučera
- Univ. Paris, INSERM, CEA, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France
- Univ. Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, INRA, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, Laboratoire de Phyiologie Cellulaire & Végétale, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble, France
- Department of Engineering Technology, South East Technological University, Waterford, Ireland
| | - Damien Cuvelier
- Institut Curie, UMR144, Paris, France
- Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, F-75005, Paris, France
| | | | - Mathieu Deygas
- Institut Curie, UMR144, Paris, France
- Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Paris, France
| | - Dipti Rai
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tonja Pavlovič
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Filipe Nunes Vicente
- University Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, IINS, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
| | - Matthieu Piel
- Institut Curie, UMR144, Paris, France
- Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Paris, France
| | - Grégory Giannone
- University Bordeaux, CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, IINS, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
| | | | - Anna Akhmanova
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Laurent Blanchoin
- Univ. Paris, INSERM, CEA, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France.
- Univ. Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, INRA, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, Laboratoire de Phyiologie Cellulaire & Végétale, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble, France.
| | - Manuel Théry
- Univ. Paris, INSERM, CEA, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France.
- Univ. Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, INRA, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, Laboratoire de Phyiologie Cellulaire & Végétale, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble, France.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Shao X, Zhang Y, Lin Y. Cyclic stretch-regulated wound healing. Biophys J 2023; 122:2381-2382. [PMID: 37098651 PMCID: PMC10322868 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xueying Shao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Yuanjun Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yuan Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Loy N, Preziosi L. A Statistical Mechanics Approach to Describe Cell Reorientation Under Stretch. Bull Math Biol 2023; 85:60. [PMID: 37249663 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-023-01161-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Experiments show that when a monolayer of cells cultured on an elastic substratum is subject to a cyclic stretch, cells tend to reorient either perpendicularly or at an oblique angle with respect to the main stretching direction. Due to stochastic effects, however, the distribution of angles achieved by the cells is broader and, experimentally, histograms over the interval [Formula: see text] are usually reported. Here we will determine the evolution and the stationary state of probability density functions describing the statistical distribution of the orientations of the cells using Fokker-Planck equations derived from microscopic rules for describing the reorientation process of the cell. As a first attempt, we shall use a stochastic differential equation related to a very general elastic energy that the cell tries to minimize and, we will show that the results of the time integration and of the stationary state of the related forward Fokker-Planck equation compare very well with experimental results obtained by different researchers. Then, in order to model more accurately the microscopic process of cell reorientation and to shed light on the mechanisms performed by cells that are subject to cyclic stretch, we consider discrete in time random processes that allow to recover Fokker-Planck equations through classical tools of kinetic theory. In particular, we shall introduce a model of reorientation as a function of the rotation angle as a result of an optimal control problem. Also in this latter case the results match very well with experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Loy
- Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy.
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Moriel A, Wolfenson H, Bouchbinder E. Characteristic energy scales of active fluctuations in adherent cells. BIOPHYSICAL REPORTS 2023; 3:100099. [PMID: 36698752 PMCID: PMC9867956 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpr.2022.100099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion play important roles in a wide variety of physiological processes, from the single-cell level to the large scale, multicellular organization of tissues. Cells actively apply forces to their environment, either extracellular matrix or neighboring cells, as well as sense its biophysical properties. The fluctuations associated with these active processes occur on an energy scale much larger than that of ordinary thermal equilibrium fluctuations, yet their statistical properties and characteristic scales are not fully understood. Here, we compare measurements of the energy scale of active cellular fluctuations-an effective cellular temperature-in four different biophysical settings, involving both single-cell and cell-aggregate experiments under various control conditions, different cell types, and various biophysical observables. The results indicate that a similar energy scale of active fluctuations might characterize the same cell type in different settings, though it may vary among different cell types, being approximately six to eight orders of magnitude larger than the ordinary thermal energy at room temperature. These findings call for extracting the energy scale of active fluctuations over a broader range of cell types, experimental settings, and biophysical observables and for understanding the biophysical origin and significance of such cellular energy scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Avraham Moriel
- Chemical and Biological Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Haguy Wolfenson
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Eran Bouchbinder
- Chemical and Biological Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Scott S, Weiss M, Selhuber-Unkel C, Barooji YF, Sabri A, Erler JT, Metzler R, Oddershede LB. Extracting, quantifying, and comparing dynamical and biomechanical properties of living matter through single particle tracking. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:1513-1537. [PMID: 36546878 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01384c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A panoply of new tools for tracking single particles and molecules has led to an explosion of experimental data, leading to novel insights into physical properties of living matter governing cellular development and function, health and disease. In this Perspective, we present tools to investigate the dynamics and mechanics of living systems from the molecular to cellular scale via single-particle techniques. In particular, we focus on methods to measure, interpret, and analyse complex data sets that are associated with forces, materials properties, transport, and emergent organisation phenomena within biological and soft-matter systems. Current approaches, challenges, and existing solutions in the associated fields are outlined in order to support the growing community of researchers at the interface of physics and the life sciences. Each section focuses not only on the general physical principles and the potential for understanding living matter, but also on details of practical data extraction and analysis, discussing limitations, interpretation, and comparison across different experimental realisations and theoretical frameworks. Particularly relevant results are introduced as examples. While this Perspective describes living matter from a physical perspective, highlighting experimental and theoretical physics techniques relevant for such systems, it is also meant to serve as a solid starting point for researchers in the life sciences interested in the implementation of biophysical methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shane Scott
- Institute of Physiology, Kiel University, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 5, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Matthias Weiss
- Experimental Physics I, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Christine Selhuber-Unkel
- Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Max Planck School Matter to Life, Jahnstraße 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Younes F Barooji
- Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Adal Sabri
- Experimental Physics I, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Janine T Erler
- BRIC, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Ralf Metzler
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht Str. 24/25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany.,Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Cell Stretcher Assay to Analyze Mechanoresponses to Cyclic Stretching. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2600:91-105. [PMID: 36587092 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2851-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
In their natural environment, most cells and tissues are continuously exposed to cyclic mechanical strain. Sensing these stimuli by mechanosensory proteins and subsequent conversion into a variety of biological responses (referred to as mechanotransduction) are key processes for tissue homeostasis, survival, and differentiation. Perturbations of underlying signaling pathways lead to severe diseases in vivo (Urciuoli E, Peruzzi B, Int J Mol Sci 21(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21249426, (2020)). In addition, cellular mechanoresponses to cyclic stretching of an isolated single cell differ from those of a cell monolayer, network, or even three-dimensional tissue. Since these processes depend on various physical and biological parameters, the development of a precise, well-characterized, and highly reproducible but also easily tunable stretcher assay is indispensable. Here, we describe the fabrication of defined elastic substrates and their application in cyclic stretching of cultured cells in a custom-made cell stretcher device. We focus on the detailed description of the system and provide a possibility for mechanoresponse characterization, using the analysis of actin stress fiber orientation as exemplary mechanoresponse to cyclic stretching of adherent cells.
Collapse
|
16
|
Das S, Ippolito A, McGarry P, Deshpande VS. Cell reorientation on a cyclically strained substrate. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac199. [PMID: 36712366 PMCID: PMC9802216 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic strain avoidance, the phenomenon of cell and cytoskeleton alignment perpendicular to the direction of cyclic strain of the underlying 2D substrate, is an important characteristic of the adherent cell organization. This alignment has typically been attributed to the stress-fiber reorganization although observations clearly show that stress-fiber reorganization under cyclic loading is closely coupled to cell morphology and reorientation of the cells. Here, we develop a statistical mechanics framework that couples the cytoskeletal stress-fiber organization with cell morphology under imposed cyclic straining and make quantitative comparisons with observations. The framework accurately predicts that cyclic strain avoidance stems primarily from cell reorientation away from the cyclic straining rather than cytoskeletal reorganization within the cell. The reorientation of the cell is a consequence of the cell lowering its free energy by largely avoiding the imposed cyclic straining. Furthermore, we investigate the kinetics of the cyclic strain avoidance mechanism and demonstrate that it emerges primarily due to the rigid body rotation of the cell rather than via a trajectory involving cell straining. Our results provide clear physical insights into the coupled dynamics of cell morphology and stress-fibers, which ultimately leads to cellular organization in cyclically strained tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuvrangsu Das
- Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
| | - Alberto Ippolito
- Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
| | - Patrick McGarry
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, National University of Ireland, University Road, Galway H91 CF50, Ireland
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Moriel A, Livne A, Bouchbinder E. Cellular orientational fluctuations, rotational diffusion and nematic order under periodic driving. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:7091-7102. [PMID: 36043855 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00611a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability of living cells to sense the physical properties of their microenvironment and to respond to dynamic forces acting on them plays a central role in regulating their structure, function and fate. Of particular importance is the cellular sensitivity and response to periodic driving forces in noisy environments, encountered in vital physiological conditions such as heart beating, blood vessel pulsation and breathing. Here, we first test and validate two predictions of a mean-field theory of cellular reorientation under periodic driving, which combines the minimization of cellular anisotropic elastic energy with active remodeling forces. We then extend the mean-field theory to include uncorrelated, additive nonequilibrium fluctuations, and show that the theory quantitatively agrees with the experimentally observed stationary probability distributions of the cell body orientation, under a range of biaxial periodic driving forces. The fluctuations theory allows the extraction of the dimensionless active noise amplitude of various cell types, and consequently their rotational diffusion coefficient. We then focus on intra-cellular nematic order, i.e. on orientational fluctuations of actin stress fibers around the cell body orientation, and show experimentally that intra-cellular nematic order increases with both the magnitude of the driving forces and the biaxiality strain ratio. These results are semi-quantitatively explained by applying the same cell body fluctuations theory to orientationally correlated actin stress fiber domains. Finally, an estimate of the energy scale of cellular orientational fluctuations for one cell type is shown to be about six order of magnitude larger than the thermal energy at room temperature. The implications of our findings, which make the quantitative analysis of cell mechanosensitivity more accessible, are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Avraham Moriel
- Chemical and Biological Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
| | - Ariel Livne
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
- Diptera.ai, PO Box 39047, Jerusalem 9139002, Israel
| | - Eran Bouchbinder
- Chemical and Biological Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Chevalier NR. Physical organogenesis of the gut. Development 2022; 149:276365. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The gut has been a central subject of organogenesis since Caspar Friedrich Wolff’s seminal 1769 work ‘De Formatione Intestinorum’. Today, we are moving from a purely genetic understanding of cell specification to a model in which genetics codes for layers of physical–mechanical and electrical properties that drive organogenesis such that organ function and morphogenesis are deeply intertwined. This Review provides an up-to-date survey of the extrinsic and intrinsic mechanical forces acting on the embryonic vertebrate gut during development and of their role in all aspects of intestinal morphogenesis: enteric nervous system formation, epithelium structuring, muscle orientation and differentiation, anisotropic growth and the development of myogenic and neurogenic motility. I outline numerous implications of this biomechanical perspective in the etiology and treatment of pathologies, such as short bowel syndrome, dysmotility, interstitial cells of Cajal-related disorders and Hirschsprung disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas R. Chevalier
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 7057 , 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75013 Paris , France
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Fang X, Ni K, Guo J, Li Y, Zhou Y, Sheng H, Bu B, Luo M, Ouyang M, Deng L. FRET Visualization of Cyclic Stretch-Activated ERK via Calcium Channels Mechanosensation While Not Integrin β1 in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:847852. [PMID: 35663392 PMCID: PMC9162487 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.847852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanical stretch is one type of common physiological activities such as during heart beating, lung breathing, blood flow through the vessels, and physical exercise. The mechanical stimulations regulate cellular functions and maintain body homeostasis. It still remains to further characterize the mechanical-biomechanical coupling mechanism. Here we applied fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology to visualize ERK activity in airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells under cyclic stretch stimulation in airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells, and studied the mechanosensing pathway. FRET measurements showed apparent ERK activation by mechanical stretch, which was abolished by ERK inhibitor PD98059 pretreatment. Inhibition of extracellular Ca2+ influx reduced ERK activation, and selective inhibition of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) Ca2+ channel or SERCA Ca2+ pump on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) blocked the activation. Chemical inhibition of the L-type or store-operated Ca2+ channels on plasma membrane, or inhibition of integrin β1 with siRNA had little effect on ERK activation. Disruption of actin cytoskeleton but not microtubule one inhibited the stretch-induced ERK activation. Furthermore, the ER IP3R-dependent ERK activation was not dependent on phospholipase C-IP3 signal, indicating possibly more mechanical mechanism for IP3R activation. It is concluded from our study that the mechanical stretch activated intracellular ERK signal in ASM cells through membrane Ca2+ channels mechanosensation but not integrin β1, which was mediated by actin cytoskeleton.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Linhong Deng
- *Correspondence: Mingxing Ouyang, ; Linhong Deng,
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Chatterjee A, Kondaiah P, Gundiah N. Stress fiber growth and remodeling determines cellular morphomechanics under uniaxial cyclic stretch. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2022; 21:553-567. [DOI: 10.1007/s10237-021-01548-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
21
|
Effect of Three-Week Vibrotherapy on Selected Skin Parameters of Thighs and Buttocks in Women with Cellulite. COSMETICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/cosmetics9010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Cellulite (gynoid lipodystrophy, panniculopathy) affects approximately 85% of women and is related to genetic and hormonal factors, diet, and low physical activity. Vibrotherapy is a promising method of physical therapy to help fight cellulite that has not been studied exhaustively yet. Materials and Methods: Sixty healthy women (age: 19–43 years) with cellulite of at least grade I on the Nurnberg–Muller scale were recruited. The participants were randomly assigned to four groups, receiving a series of 15 vibration treatments in a sitting or lying position for 30 or 60 min. Before and after the first and last treatment, selected skin parameters were measured with the use of Courage and Khazaka equipment. Results: Skin hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) of thighs and buttocks differed significantly at all time points. Post hoc tests showed that each treatment caused a decrease in TEWL but no long-term effect was observed. For skin pH, a significant difference was observed between the measurements I and IV. The lying position caused a greater reduction in the value of the acid–base balance. Conclusions: A series of vibration treatments improved the hydration and pH of the skin. The treatments limited TEWL; however, no long-term effect was observed.
Collapse
|
22
|
Xu J, Xu X, Li X, He S, Li D, Ji B. Cellular mechanics of wound formation in single cell layer under cyclic stretching. Biophys J 2022; 121:288-299. [PMID: 34902328 PMCID: PMC8790211 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Wounds can be produced when cells and tissues are subjected to excessive forces, for instance, under pathological conditions or nonphysiological loading. However, the cellular behaviors in the wound formation process are not clear. Here we tested the behaviors of wound formation in the epithelial layer with an in-suit uniaxial stretching device. We found that the wound often nucleates at the position where the cells are dividing. The polarization direction of cells near the wound is preferentially along the wound edge, whereas the cells far from the wound are preferentially perpendicular to the stretching direction. The larger the wound area is, the higher is the aspect ratio of the cells around the wound. Increasing the cell density will strengthen the cell layer. The higher the cell density is, the smaller is the area of the wounds, and the weaker is the effect of stretching on the polarization of the cells. Furthermore, we built a coarse-grained cell model that can explicitly consider the elasticity and viscoelasticity of cells, cell-cell interaction, and cell active stress, by which we simulated the wound formation process and quantitatively analyzed the force and stress fields in the cell layer, particularly around the wound. These analyses reveal the cellular mechanisms of wound formation behaviors in the cell layer under stretching and shed useful light on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for biomedical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Xu
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China,Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyu Xu
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China,Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Li
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shijie He
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dechang Li
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China,Corresponding author
| | - Baohua Ji
- Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China,Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China,Corresponding author
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Scandling BW, Gou J, Thomas J, Xuan J, Xue C, Gooch KJ. A Mechanistic Motor-Clutch Model That Explains Cell Shape Dynamics to Cyclic Stretch. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar27. [PMID: 35020463 PMCID: PMC9250388 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e20-01-0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many cells in the body experience cyclic mechanical loading, which can impact cellular processes and morphology. In vitro studies often report that cells reorient in response to cyclic stretch of their substrate. To explore cellular mechanisms involved in this reorientation, a computational model was developed by adapting previous computational models of the actin–myosin–integrin motor-clutch system developed by others. The computational model predicts that under most conditions, actin bundles align perpendicular to the direction of applied cyclic stretch, but under specific conditions, such as low substrate stiffness, actin bundles align parallel to the direction of stretch. The model also predicts that stretch frequency impacts the rate of reorientation and that proper myosin function is critical in the reorientation response. These computational predictions are consistent with reports from the literature and new experimental results presented here. The model suggests that the impact of different stretching conditions (stretch type, amplitude, frequency, substrate stiffness, etc.) on the direction of cell alignment can largely be understood by considering their impact on cell–substrate detachment events, specifically whether detachments preferentially occur during stretching or relaxing of the substrate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin W Scandling
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University.,The Frick Center for Heart Failure and Arrhythmia, Davis Heart Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University
| | - Jia Gou
- Department of Mathematics, University of Minnesota.,Current Affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside
| | - Jessica Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University
| | - Jacqueline Xuan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University
| | - Chuan Xue
- School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota
| | - Keith J Gooch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University.,The Frick Center for Heart Failure and Arrhythmia, Davis Heart Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Aguilera Suarez S, Sekar NC, Nguyen N, Lai A, Thurgood P, Zhou Y, Needham S, Pirogova E, Khoshmanesh K, Baratchi S. Studying the Mechanobiology of Aortic Endothelial Cells Under Cyclic Stretch Using a Modular 3D Printed System. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:791116. [PMID: 34957080 PMCID: PMC8698250 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.791116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we describe a motorized cam-driven system for the cyclic stretch of aortic endothelial cells. Our modular design allows for generating customized spatiotemporal stretch profiles by varying the profile and size of 3D printed cam and follower elements. The system is controllable, compact, inexpensive, and amenable for parallelization and long-term experiments. Experiments using human aortic endothelial cells show significant changes in the cytoskeletal structure and morphology of cells following exposure to 5 and 10% cyclic stretch over 9 and 16 h. The system provides upportunities for exploring the complex molecular and cellular processes governing the response of mechanosensitive cells under cyclic stretch.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadia Chandra Sekar
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ngan Nguyen
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Austin Lai
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter Thurgood
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ying Zhou
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Elena Pirogova
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Sara Baratchi
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
He Y, Yu Y, Yang Y, Gu Y, Mao T, Shen Y, Liu Q, Liu R, Ding J. Design and aligner-assisted fast fabrication of a microfluidic platform for quasi-3D cell studies on an elastic polymer. Bioact Mater 2021; 15:288-304. [PMID: 35356817 PMCID: PMC8935092 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
While most studies of mechanical stimulation of cells are focused on two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) systems, it is rare to study the effects of cyclic stretching on cells under a quasi-3D microenvironment as a linkage between 2D and 3D. Herein, we report a new method to prepare an elastic membrane with topographic microstructures and integrate the membrane into a microfluidic chip. The fabrication difficulty lay not only in the preparation of microstructures but also in the alignment and bonding of the patterned membrane to other layers. To resolve the problem, we designed and assembled a fast aligner that is cost-effective and convenient to operate. To enable quasi-3D microenvironment of cells, we fabricated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microwell arrays (formed by micropillars of a few microns in diameter) with the microwell diameters close to the cell sizes. An appropriate plasma treatment was found to afford a coating-free approach to enable cell adhesion on PDMS. We examined three types of cells in 2D, quasi-3D, and 3D microenvironments; the cell adhesion results showed that quasi-3D cells behaved between 2D and 3D cells. We also constructed transgenic human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs); under cyclic stretching, the visualizable live hMSCs in microwells were found to orientate differently from in a 3D Matrigel matrix and migrate differently from on a 2D flat plate. This study not only provides valuable tools for microfabrication of a microfluidic device for cell studies, but also inspires further studies of the topological effects of biomaterials on cells. A microfluidic platform for quasi-3D cell studies was presented as a linkage between 2D and 3D cell-material research systems. The fabrication difficulty was overcome by designing an effective aligner that can be easily assembled. Cell behaviors can be enhanced with a proper quasi-3D biomaterial microenvironment. A new transgenic cell line and systematic 3D approaches were developed to visualize and digitalize the quasi-3D cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yingning He
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yue Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yuqian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yexin Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Tianjiao Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yang Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Qiong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200434, China
| | - Ruili Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Jiandong Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
- Corresponding author.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Uslu FE, Davidson CD, Mailand E, Bouklas N, Baker BM, Sakar MS. Engineered Extracellular Matrices with Integrated Wireless Microactuators to Study Mechanobiology. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2102641. [PMID: 34363246 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202102641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mechanobiology explores how forces regulate cell behaviors and what molecular machinery are responsible for the sensing, transduction, and modulation of mechanical cues. To this end, probing of cells cultured on planar substrates has served as a primary experimental setting for many decades. However, native extracellular matrices (ECMs) consist of fibrous protein assemblies where the physical properties spanning from the individual fiber to the network architecture can influence the transmission of forces to and from the cells. Here, a robotic manipulation platform that allows wireless, localized, and programmable deformation of an engineered fibrous ECM is introduced. A finite-element-based digital twin of the fiber network calibrated against measured local and global parameters enables the calculation of deformations and stresses generated by different magnetic actuation schemes across a range of network properties. Physiologically relevant mechanical forces are applied to cells cultured on the fiber network, statically or dynamically, revealing insights into the effects of matrix-borne forces and deformations as well as force-mediated matrix remodeling on cell migration and intracellular signaling. These capabilities are not matched by any existing approach, and this versatile platform has the potential to uncover fundamental mechanisms of mechanobiology in settings with greater relevance to living tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fazil E Uslu
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | | | - Erik Mailand
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Nikolaos Bouklas
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Brendon M Baker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Mahmut Selman Sakar
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Lövenich L, Dreissen G, Hoffmann C, Konrad J, Springer R, Höhfeld J, Merkel R, Hoffmann B. Strain induced mechanoresponse depends on cell contractility and BAG3-mediated autophagy. Mol Biol Cell 2021; 32:ar9. [PMID: 34379447 PMCID: PMC8684750 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-05-0254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Basically all mammalian tissues are constantly exposed to a variety of environmental mechanical signals. Depending on the signal strength, mechanics intervenes in a multitude of cellular processes and is thus capable to induce simple cellular adaptations but also complex differentiation processes and even apoptosis. The underlying recognition typically depends on mechanosensitive proteins, which most often sense the mechanical signal for the induction of a cellular signaling cascade by changing their protein conformation. However, the fate of mechanosensors after mechanical stress application is still poorly understood and it remains unclear whether protein degradation pathways affect the mechanosensitivity of cells. Here, we show that cyclic stretch induces autophagosome formation in a time-dependent manner. Formation depends on the cochaperone BAG3 and thus likely involves BAG3-mediated chaperone-assisted selective autophagy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that strain-induced cell reorientation is clearly delayed upon inhibition of autophagy, suggesting a bidirectional crosstalk between mechanotransduction and autophagic degradation. The strength of the observed delay depends on stable adhesion structures and stress fiber formation in a RhoA-dependent manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Lövenich
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Georg Dreissen
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Christina Hoffmann
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Jens Konrad
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Ronald Springer
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Jörg Höhfeld
- Institute for Cell Biology, University of Bonn, 53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Rudolf Merkel
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-2: Mechanobiology, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Cyclic stretching-induced epithelial cell reorientation is driven by microtubule-modulated transverse extension during the relaxation phase. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14803. [PMID: 34285275 PMCID: PMC8292395 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93987-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Many types of adherent cells are known to reorient upon uniaxial cyclic stretching perpendicularly to the direction of stretching to facilitate such important events as wound healing, angiogenesis, and morphogenesis. While this phenomenon has been documented for decades, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Using an on-stage stretching device that allowed programmable stretching with synchronized imaging, we found that the reorientation of NRK epithelial cells took place primarily during the relaxation phase when cells underwent rapid global retraction followed by extension transverse to the direction of stretching. Inhibition of myosin II caused cells to orient along the direction of stretching, whereas disassembly of microtubules enhanced transverse reorientation. Our results indicate distinct roles of stretching and relaxation in cell reorientation and implicate a role of myosin II-dependent contraction via a microtubule-modulated mechanism. The importance of relaxation phase also explains the difference between the responses to cyclic and static stretching.
Collapse
|
29
|
Andreu I, Falcones B, Hurst S, Chahare N, Quiroga X, Le Roux AL, Kechagia Z, Beedle AEM, Elosegui-Artola A, Trepat X, Farré R, Betz T, Almendros I, Roca-Cusachs P. The force loading rate drives cell mechanosensing through both reinforcement and cytoskeletal softening. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4229. [PMID: 34244477 PMCID: PMC8270983 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24383-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell response to force regulates essential processes in health and disease. However, the fundamental mechanical variables that cells sense and respond to remain unclear. Here we show that the rate of force application (loading rate) drives mechanosensing, as predicted by a molecular clutch model. By applying dynamic force regimes to cells through substrate stretching, optical tweezers, and atomic force microscopy, we find that increasing loading rates trigger talin-dependent mechanosensing, leading to adhesion growth and reinforcement, and YAP nuclear localization. However, above a given threshold the actin cytoskeleton softens, decreasing loading rates and preventing reinforcement. By stretching rat lungs in vivo, we show that a similar phenomenon may occur. Our results show that cell sensing of external forces and of passive mechanical parameters (like tissue stiffness) can be understood through the same mechanisms, driven by the properties under force of the mechanosensing molecules involved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ion Andreu
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Sebastian Hurst
- Institute of Cell Biology, Center of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nimesh Chahare
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Campus Nord, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xarxa Quiroga
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anabel-Lise Le Roux
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zanetta Kechagia
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amy E M Beedle
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London, UK
| | - Alberto Elosegui-Artola
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xavier Trepat
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ramon Farré
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Timo Betz
- Institute of Cell Biology, Center of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Isaac Almendros
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain.
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Pere Roca-Cusachs
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain.
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Zhang D, Zhang R, Song X, Yan KC, Liang H. Uniaxial Cyclic Stretching Promotes Chromatin Accessibility of Gene Loci Associated With Mesenchymal Stem Cells Morphogenesis and Osteogenesis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:664545. [PMID: 34307349 PMCID: PMC8294092 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.664545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been previously demonstrated that uniaxial cyclic stretching (UCS) induces differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into osteoblasts in vitro. It is also known that interactions between cells and external forces occur at various aspects including cell–matrix, cytoskeleton, nucleus membrane, and chromatin. However, changes in chromatin landscape during this process are still not clear. The present study was aimed to determine changes of chromatin accessibility under cyclic stretch. The influence of cyclic stretching on the morphology, proliferation, and differentiation of hMSCs was characterized. Changes of open chromatin sites were determined by assay for transposase accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). Our results showed that UCS induced cell reorientation and actin stress fibers realignment, and in turn caused nuclear reorientation and deformation. Compared with unstrained group, the expression of osteogenic and chondrogenic marker genes were the highest in group of 1 Hz + 8% strain; this condition also led to lower cell proliferation rate. Furthermore, there were 2022 gene loci with upregulated chromatin accessibility in 1 Hz + 8% groups based on the analysis of chromatin accessibility. These genes are associated with regulation of cell morphogenesis, cell–substrate adhesion, and ossification. Signaling pathways involved in osteogenic differentiation were found in up-regulated GO biological processes. These findings demonstrated that UCS increased the openness of gene loci associated with regulation of cell morphogenesis and osteogenesis as well as the corresponding transcription activities. Moreover, the findings also connect the changes in chromatin accessibility with cell reorientation, nuclear reorientation, and deformation. Our study may provide reference for directed differentiation of stem cells induced by mechanical microenvironments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Duo Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ran Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Song
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Karen Chang Yan
- Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, The College of New Jersey, Ewing Township, NJ, United States
| | - Haiyi Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Lucci G, Giverso C, Preziosi L. Cell orientation under stretch: Stability of a linear viscoelastic model. Math Biosci 2021; 337:108630. [PMID: 34015301 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2021.108630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The sensitivity of cells to alterations in the microenvironment and in particular to external mechanical stimuli is significant in many biological and physiological circumstances. In this regard, experimental assays demonstrated that, when a monolayer of cells cultured on an elastic substrate is subject to an external cyclic stretch with a sufficiently high frequency, a reorganization of actin stress fibres and focal adhesions happens in order to reach a stable equilibrium orientation, characterized by a precise angle between the cell major axis and the largest strain direction. To examine the frequency effect on the orientation dynamics, we propose a linear viscoelastic model that describes the coupled evolution of the cellular stress and the orientation angle. We find that cell orientation oscillates tending to an angle that is predicted by the minimization of a very general orthotropic elastic energy, as confirmed by a bifurcation analysis. Moreover, simulations show that the speed of convergence towards the predicted equilibrium orientation presents a changeover related to the viscous-elastic transition for viscoelastic materials. In particular, when the imposed oscillation period is lower than the characteristic turnover rate of the cytoskeleton and of adhesion molecules such as integrins, reorientation is significantly faster.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Lucci
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange" Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy; Department of Mathematics "G. Peano", Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Carlo Alberto 10, 10123 Turin, Italy.
| | - Chiara Giverso
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange" Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy.
| | - Luigi Preziosi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences "G.L. Lagrange" Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Mao T, He Y, Gu Y, Yang Y, Yu Y, Wang X, Ding J. Critical Frequency and Critical Stretching Rate for Reorientation of Cells on a Cyclically Stretched Polymer in a Microfluidic Chip. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:13934-13948. [PMID: 33739805 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c21186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The ability of cells to sense and respond to mechanical signals from their surrounding microenvironments is one of the key issues in tissue engineering and regeneration, yet a fundamental study of cells with both cell observation and mechanical stimulus is challenging and should be based upon an appropriate microdevice. Herein we designed and fabricated a two-layer microfluidic chip to enable simultaneous observation of live cells and cyclic stretching of an elastic polymer, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), with a modified surface for enhanced cell adhesion. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were examined with a series of frequencies from 0.00003 to 2 Hz and varied amplitudes of 2%, 5%, or 10%. The cells with an initial random orientation were confirmed to be reoriented perpendicular to the stretching direction at frequencies greater than a threshold value, which we term critical frequency (fc); additionally, the critical frequency fc was amplitude-dependent. We further introduced the concept of critical stretching rate (Rc) and found that this quantity can unify both frequency and amplitude dependences. The reciprocal value of Rc in this study reads 8.3 min, which is consistent with the turnover time of actin filaments reported in the literature, suggesting that the supramolecular relaxation in the cytoskeleton within a cell might be responsible for the underlying cell mechanotransduction. The theoretical calculation of cell reorientation based on a two-dimensional tensegrity model under uniaxial cyclic stretching is well consistent with our experiments. The above findings provide new insight into the crucial role of critical frequency and critical stretching rate in regulating cells on biomaterials under biomechanical stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tianjiao Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yingning He
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yexin Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yuqian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yue Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Xinlei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Jiandong Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
A Fully Integrated Arduino-Based System for the Application of Stretching Stimuli to Living Cells and Their Time-Lapse Observation: A Do-It-Yourself Biology Approach. Ann Biomed Eng 2021; 49:2243-2259. [PMID: 33728867 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-021-02758-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Mechanobiology has nowadays acquired the status of a topic of fundamental importance in a degree in Biological Sciences. It is inherently a multidisciplinary topic where biology, physics and engineering competences are required. A course in mechanobiology should include lab experiences where students can appreciate how mechanical stimuli from outside affect living cell behaviour. Here we describe all the steps to build a cell stretcher inside an on-stage cell incubator. This device allows exposing living cells to a periodic mechanical stimulus similar to what happens in physiological conditions such as, for example, in the vascular system or in the lungs. The reaction of the cells to the periodic mechanical stretching represents a prototype of a mechanobiological signal integrated by living cells. We also provide the theoretical and experimental aspects related to the calibration of the stretcher apparatus at a level accessible to researchers not used to dealing with topics like continuum mechanics and analysis of deformations. We tested our device by stretching cells of two different lines, U87-MG and Balb-3T3 cells, and we analysed and discussed the effect of the periodic stimulus on both cell reorientation and migration. We also discuss the basic aspects related to the quantitative analysis of the reorientation process and of cell migration. We think that the device we propose can be easily reproduced at low-cost within a project-oriented course in the fields of biology, biotechnology and medical engineering.
Collapse
|
34
|
Notermans T, Tanska P, Korhonen RK, Khayyeri H, Isaksson H. A numerical framework for mechano-regulated tendon healing-Simulation of early regeneration of the Achilles tendon. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008636. [PMID: 33556080 PMCID: PMC7901741 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechano-regulation during tendon healing, i.e. the relationship between mechanical stimuli and cellular response, has received more attention recently. However, the basic mechanobiological mechanisms governing tendon healing after a rupture are still not well-understood. Literature has reported spatial and temporal variations in the healing of ruptured tendon tissue. In this study, we explored a computational modeling approach to describe tendon healing. In particular, a novel 3D mechano-regulatory framework was developed to investigate spatio-temporal evolution of collagen content and orientation, and temporal evolution of tendon stiffness during early tendon healing. Based on an extensive literature search, two possible relationships were proposed to connect levels of mechanical stimuli to collagen production. Since literature remains unclear on strain-dependent collagen production at high levels of strain, the two investigated production laws explored the presence or absence of collagen production upon non-physiologically high levels of strain (>15%). Implementation in a finite element framework, pointed to large spatial variations in strain magnitudes within the callus tissue, which resulted in predictions of distinct spatial distributions of collagen over time. The simulations showed that the magnitude of strain was highest in the tendon core along the central axis, and decreased towards the outer periphery. Consequently, decreased levels of collagen production for high levels of tensile strain were shown to accurately predict the experimentally observed delayed collagen production in the tendon core. In addition, our healing framework predicted evolution of collagen orientation towards alignment with the tendon axis and the overall predicted tendon stiffness agreed well with experimental data. In this study, we explored the capability of a numerical model to describe spatial and temporal variations in tendon healing and we identified that understanding mechano-regulated collagen production can play a key role in explaining heterogeneities observed during tendon healing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Notermans
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Petri Tanska
- Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Rami K. Korhonen
- Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Hanifeh Khayyeri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Hanna Isaksson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Bracco Gartner TCL, Stein JM, Muylaert DEP, Bouten CVC, Doevendans PA, Khademhosseini A, Suyker WJL, Sluijter JPG, Hjortnaes J. Advanced In Vitro Modeling to Study the Paradox of Mechanically Induced Cardiac Fibrosis. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 2021; 27:100-114. [PMID: 33407000 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2020.0298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In heart failure, cardiac fibrosis is the result of an adverse remodeling process. Collagen is continuously synthesized in the myocardium in an ongoing attempt of the heart to repair itself. The resulting collagen depositions act counterproductively, causing diastolic dysfunction and disturbing electrical conduction. Efforts to treat cardiac fibrosis specifically have not been successful and the molecular etiology is only partially understood. The differentiation of quiescent cardiac fibroblasts to extracellular matrix-depositing myofibroblasts is a hallmark of cardiac fibrosis and a key aspect of the adverse remodeling process. This conversion is induced by a complex interplay of biochemical signals and mechanical stimuli. Tissue-engineered 3D models to study cardiac fibroblast behavior in vitro indicate that cyclic strain can activate a myofibroblast phenotype. This raises the question how fibroblast quiescence is maintained in the healthy myocardium, despite continuous stimulation of ultimately profibrotic mechanotransductive pathways. In this review, we will discuss the convergence of biochemical and mechanical differentiation signals of myofibroblasts, and hypothesize how these affect this paradoxical quiescence. Impact statement Mechanotransduction pathways of cardiac fibroblasts seem to ultimately be profibrotic in nature, but in healthy human myocardium, cardiac fibroblasts remain quiescent, despite continuous mechanical stimulation. We propose three hypotheses that could explain this paradoxical state of affairs. Furthermore, we provide suggestions for future research, which should lead to a better understanding of fibroblast quiescence and activation, and ultimately to new strategies for the prevention and treatment of cardiac fibrosis and heart failure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C L Bracco Gartner
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen M Stein
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Dimitri E P Muylaert
- Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Carlijn V C Bouten
- Division of Soft Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Pieter A Doevendans
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Division of Heart and Lungs, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,University Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Central Military Hospital, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ali Khademhosseini
- Department of Bioengineering, Radiology, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Willem J L Suyker
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,University Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Joost P G Sluijter
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,University Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jesper Hjortnaes
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,University Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Lucci G, Preziosi L. A nonlinear elastic description of cell preferential orientations over a stretched substrate. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2021; 20:631-649. [PMID: 33449274 PMCID: PMC7979636 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-020-01406-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The active response of cells to mechanical cues due to their interaction with the environment has been of increasing interest, since it is involved in many physiological phenomena, pathologies, and in tissue engineering. In particular, several experiments have shown that, if a substrate with overlying cells is cyclically stretched, they will reorient to reach a well-defined angle between their major axis and the main stretching direction. Recent experimental findings, also supported by a linear elastic model, indicated that the minimization of an elastic energy might drive this reorientation process. Motivated by the fact that a similar behaviour is observed even for high strains, in this paper we address the problem in the framework of finite elasticity, in order to study the presence of nonlinear effects. We find that, for a very large class of constitutive orthotropic models and with very general assumptions, there is a single linear relationship between a parameter describing the biaxial deformation and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$$\cos ^2\theta _{\mathrm{eq}}$$\end{document}cos2θeq, where \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$$\theta _{\mathrm{eq}}$$\end{document}θeq is the orientation angle of the cell, with the slope of the line depending on a specific combination of four parameters that characterize the nonlinear constitutive equation. We also study the effect of introducing a further dependence of the energy on the anisotropic invariants related to the square of the Cauchy–Green strain tensor. This leads to departures from the linear relationship mentioned above, that are again critically compared with experimental data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Lucci
- Department of Mathematical Sciences “G.L. Lagrange”, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
- Department of Mathematics “G. Peano”, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Carlo Alberto 10, 10123 Turin, Italy
| | - Luigi Preziosi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences “G.L. Lagrange” Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Lin J, Li X, Yin J, Qian J. Effect of Cyclic Stretch on Neuron Reorientation and Axon Outgrowth. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:597867. [PMID: 33425865 PMCID: PMC7793818 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.597867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The directional alignment and outgrowth of neurons is a critical step of nerve regeneration and functional recovery of nerve systems, where neurons are exposed to a complex mechanical environment with subcellular structures such as stress fibers and focal adhesions acting as the key mechanical transducer. In this paper, we investigate the effects of cyclic stretch on neuron reorientation and axon outgrowth with a feasible stretching device that controls stretching amplitude and frequency. Statistical results indicate an evident frequency and amplitude dependence of neuron reorientation, that is, neurons tend to align away from stretch direction when stretching amplitude and frequency are large enough. On the other hand, axon elongation under cyclic stretch is very close to the reference case where neurons are not stretched. A mechanochemical framework is proposed by connecting the evolution of cellular configuration to the microscopic dynamics of subcellular structures, including stress fiber, focal adhesion, and microtubule, yielding theoretical predictions that are consistent with the experimental observations. The theoretical work provides an explanation of the neuron's mechanical response to cyclic stretch, suggesting that the contraction force generated by stress fiber plays an essential role in both neuron reorientation and axon elongation. This combined experimental and theoretical study on stretch-induced neuron reorientation may have potential applications in neurodevelopment and neuron regeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji Lin
- Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaokeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jun Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jin Qian
- Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Mechanoadaptive organization of stress fiber subtypes in epithelial cells under cyclic stretches and stretch release. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18684. [PMID: 33122754 PMCID: PMC7596055 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclic stretch applied to cells induces the reorganization of stress fibers. However, the correlation between the reorganization of stress fiber subtypes and strain-dependent responses of the cytoplasm and nucleus has remained unclear. Here, we investigated the dynamic involvement of stress fiber subtypes in the orientation and elongation of cyclically stretched epithelial cells. We applied uniaxial cyclic stretches at 5%, 10%, and 15% strains to cells followed by the release of the mechanical stretch. Dorsal, transverse arcs, and peripheral stress fibers were mainly involved in the cytoplasm responses whereas perinuclear cap fibers were associated with the reorientation and elongation of the nucleus. Dorsal stress fibers and transverse arcs rapidly responded within 15 min regardless of the strain magnitude to facilitate the subsequent changes in the orientation and elongation of the cytoplasm. The cyclic stretches induced the additional formation of perinuclear cap fibers and their increased number was almost maintained with a slight decline after 2-h-long stretch release. The slow formation and high stability of perinuclear cap fibers were linked to the slow reorientation kinetics and partial morphology recovery of nucleus in the presence or absence of cyclic stretches. The reorganization of stress fiber subtypes occurred in accordance with the reversible distribution of myosin II. These findings allowed us to propose a model for stretch-induced responses of the cytoplasm and nucleus in epithelial cells based on different mechanoadaptive properties of stress fiber subtypes.
Collapse
|
39
|
Alhudaithy S, Abdulmalik S, Kumbar SG, Hoshino K. Design, Fabrication, and Validation of a Petri Dish-Compatible PDMS Bioreactor for the Tensile Stimulation and Characterization of Microtissues. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E892. [PMID: 32993158 PMCID: PMC7650815 DOI: 10.3390/mi11100892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we report on a novel biocompatible micromechanical bioreactor (actuator and sensor) designed for the in situ manipulation and characterization of live microtissues. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an application-targeted sterile bioreactor that is accessible, inexpensive, adjustable, and easily fabricated. Our method relies on a simple polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molding technique for fabrication and is compatible with commonly-used laboratory equipment and materials. Our unique design includes a flexible thin membrane that allows for the transfer of an external actuation into the PDMS beam-based actuator and sensor placed inside a conventional 35 mm cell culture Petri dish. Through computational analysis followed by experimental testing, we demonstrated its functionality, accuracy, sensitivity, and tunable operating range. Through time-course testing, the actuator delivered strains of over 20% to biodegradable electrospun poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) 85:15 non-aligned nanofibers (~91 µm thick). At the same time, the sensor was able to characterize time-course changes in Young's modulus (down to 10-150 kPa), induced by an application of isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Furthermore, the actuator delivered strains of up to 4% to PDMS monolayers (~30 µm thick), simultaneously characterizing their elastic modulus up to ~2.2 MPa. The platform repeatedly applied dynamic (0.23 Hz) tensile stimuli to live Human Dermal Fibroblast (HDF) cells for 12 hours (h) and recorded the cellular reorientation towards two angle regimes, with averages of -58.85° and +56.02°. The device biocompatibility with live cells was demonstrated for one week, with no signs of cytotoxicity. We can conclude that our PDMS bioreactor is advantageous for low-cost tissue/cell culture micromanipulation studies involving mechanical actuation and characterization. Our device eliminates the need for an expensive experimental setup for cell micromanipulation, increasing the ease of live-cell manipulation studies by providing an affordable way of conducting high-throughput experiments without the need to open the Petri dish, reducing manual handling, cross-contamination, supplies, and costs. The device design, material, and methods allow the user to define the operational range based on their targeted samples/application.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soliman Alhudaithy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (S.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.)
- Department of Biomedical Technology, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sama Abdulmalik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (S.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.)
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Sangamesh G. Kumbar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (S.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.)
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Kazunori Hoshino
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (S.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.)
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Tsygankov YM, Zhorzholiani ST, Khugaev GA, Tevosov DR, Shepelev AD, Krasheninnikov SV, Gorodkov AY, Bockeria LA. The Effect of Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Prostheses Made by Electrospinning on the Results of Experimental Implantation in the Infrarenal Abdominal Aorta. Ann Vasc Surg 2020; 70:506-516. [PMID: 32890640 DOI: 10.1016/j.avsg.2020.08.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The research aims to study the effect of circumferential compliance of synthetic vascular prostheses on their healing during implantation in the infrarenal abdominal aorta of pigs. METHODS In an experiment, 12 pigs were implanted with blood vessel prostheses in the infrarenal abdominal aorta. The prostheses possessed elastic characteristics obtained by a tensile testing machine, and differed in circumferential compliance: rigid (polycaprolactone [PCL]); less compliant than the native aorta (polyurethane [PU]); comparable in compliance to the native aorta (copolymer of vinylidene fluoride with hexafluoropropylene) before (FKM) and after radiation treatment (FKM-γ). The implanted prostheses compliance was measured by aortography during the first 3 days and 1 month after implantation, the condition of the prosthesis capsule was evaluated by macroscopic preparations and histologic examination. RESULTS Pulsation on PCL prostheses was nonexistent immediately after implantation. On PU prostheses, slight pulsation was noted during the first 3 days and disappeared after 1 month. On FKM prostheses, although pulsation persisted after 1 month, a significant expansion of prostheses was also recorded as a result of fatigue plastic deformation. On FKM-γ prostheses, pulsation comparable in magnitude with aortic pulsation was present 1 month after implantation with no change in the size of the prosthesis. Macroscopic preparations reveal significant differences in the formed connective tissue capsule. The PCL prosthesis capsule is thick, narrowing the lumen of the vessel from the outside. The outer surface of PU prostheses is covered with a thinner uniform fibrous capsule. The inner surface of the FKM and FKM-γ prostheses is covered with a thin layer of smooth whitish tissue. The FKM prosthesis, unlike the FKM-γ prosthesis, is sharply expanded. In all cases, moderate aortic expansion was observed distal to the prosthesis. According to the histologic data, the outer and inner capsules of PCL prostheses are covered with a thick layer of fibrous tissue with signs of productive inflammation and foci of calcification. PU prostheses are surrounded by a thick connective tissue capsule partially endothelialized from the inside; the outer capsule is randomly populated with fibroblastic cells. FKM prostheses have a thin outer capsule where smooth muscle cells are visible, mainly oriented along and across the prosthesis axis; the inner capsule is thin and completely covered with a layer of endothelial cells from the side of the lumen. A layered structure is visible in the prosthesis capsule of FKM-γ, and the fibroblast cells in each layer of the capsule are oriented along or across the prosthesis axis, similar to the structure of a natural arterial vessel. The inner surface of the prosthesis is completely endothelialized. CONCLUSIONS The healing and degree of inflammation in a capsule of blood vessel prostheses implanted in the infrarenal abdominal aorta of pigs depend on the degree of their circumferential compliance. Although maintaining pulsations, the cellular structure of the capsule is characterized by a greater degree of differentiation and approaches the structure of the native arterial wall.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuriy M Tsygankov
- Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Head - E.Z.Goluhova, RAS), Moscow, Russia.
| | - Shota T Zhorzholiani
- Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Head - E.Z.Goluhova, RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Georgiy A Khugaev
- Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Head - E.Z.Goluhova, RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - David R Tevosov
- Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Head - E.Z.Goluhova, RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - Alexandre Y Gorodkov
- Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Head - E.Z.Goluhova, RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Leo A Bockeria
- Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Head - E.Z.Goluhova, RAS), Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
BEaTS-α an open access 3D printed device for in vitro electromechanical stimulation of human induced pluripotent stem cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11274. [PMID: 32647145 PMCID: PMC7347879 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67169-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
3D printing was used to develop an open access device capable of simultaneous electrical and mechanical stimulation of human induced pluripotent stem cells in 6-well plates. The device was designed using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printed with autoclavable, FDA-approved materials. The compact design of the device and materials selection allows for its use inside cell incubators working at high humidity without the risk of overheating or corrosion. Mechanical stimulation of cells was carried out through the cyclic deflection of flexible, translucent silicone membranes by means of a vacuum-controlled, open-access device. A rhythmic stimulation cycle was programmed to create a more physiologically relevant in vitro model. This mechanical stimulation was coupled and synchronized with in situ electrical stimuli. We assessed the capabilities of our device to support cardiac myocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, confirming that cells cultured under electromechanical stimulation presented a defined/mature cardiomyocyte phenotype. This 3D printed device provides a unique high-throughput in vitro system that combines both mechanical and electrical stimulation, and as such, we foresee it finding applications in the study of any electrically responsive tissue such as muscles and nerves.
Collapse
|
42
|
Goddard GK, Tarannum N, Woolner S. Applying Tensile and Compressive Force to Xenopus Animal Cap Tissue. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2020; 2020:105551. [PMID: 31857437 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.prot105551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Over many years, the Xenopus laevis embryo has provided a powerful model system to investigate how mechanical forces regulate cellular function. Here, we describe a system to apply reproducible tensile and compressive force to X. laevis animal cap tissue explants and to simultaneously assess cellular behavior using live confocal imaging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgina K Goddard
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Nawseen Tarannum
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Woolner
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Banerjee S, Gardel ML, Schwarz US. The Actin Cytoskeleton as an Active Adaptive Material. ANNUAL REVIEW OF CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS 2020; 11:421-439. [PMID: 33343823 PMCID: PMC7748259 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-031218-013231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Actin is the main protein used by biological cells to adapt their structure and mechanics to their needs. Cellular adaptation is made possible by molecular processes that strongly depend on mechanics. The actin cytoskeleton is also an active material that continuously consumes energy. This allows for dynamical processes that are possible only out of equilibrium and opens up the possibility for multiple layers of control that have evolved around this single protein.Here we discuss the actin cytoskeleton from the viewpoint of physics as an active adaptive material that can build structures superior to man-made soft matter systems. Not only can actin be used to build different network architectures on demand and in an adaptive manner, but it also exhibits the dynamical properties of feedback systems, like excitability, bistability, or oscillations. Therefore, it is a prime example of how biology couples physical structure and information flow and a role model for biology-inspired metamaterials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shiladitya Banerjee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Margaret L Gardel
- Department of Physics, James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Ulrich S Schwarz
- Institute for Theoretical Physics and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Kaunas R. Good advice for endothelial cells: Get in line, relax tension, and go with the flow. APL Bioeng 2020; 4:010905. [PMID: 32128470 PMCID: PMC7044000 DOI: 10.1063/1.5129812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Endothelial cells (ECs) are continuously subjected to fluid wall shear stress (WSS) and cyclic strain caused by pulsatile blood flow and pressure. It is well established that these hemodynamic forces each play important roles in vascular disease, but their combined effects are not well understood. ECs remodel in response to both WSS and cyclic strain to align along the vessel axis, but in areas prone to atherogenesis, such an alignment is absent. In this perspective, experimental and clinical findings will be reviewed, which have revealed the characteristics of WSS and cyclic strain, which are associated with atherosclerosis, spanning studies on whole blood vessels to individual cells to mechanosensing molecules. Examples are described regarding the use of computational modeling to elucidate the mechanisms by which EC alignment contributes to mechanical homeostasis. Finally, the need to move toward an integrated understanding of how hemodynamic forces influence EC mechanotransduction is presented, which holds the potential to move our currently fragmented understanding to a true appreciation of the role of mechanical stimuli in atherosclerosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roland Kaunas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3120, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Müller S, Ueda M, Isoshima T, Ushida T, Ito Y. Stretching of fibroblast cells on micropatterned gelatin on silicone elastomer. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:416-425. [DOI: 10.1039/c9tb02203a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Micropatterned gelatin was formed on the silicone elastomer surface. The micropattern enabled cell alignment, regulation of the cell shape, and endowed the cells with resistance against mechanical stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Müller
- Emergent Bioengineering Materials Research Team
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science
- Saitama
- Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine
| | - Motoki Ueda
- Emergent Bioengineering Materials Research Team
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science
- Saitama
- Japan
- Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory
| | - Takashi Isoshima
- Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory
- RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research
- Saitama
- Japan
| | - Takashi Ushida
- Graduate School of Medicine
- The University of Tokyo
- Tokyo
- Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Ito
- Emergent Bioengineering Materials Research Team
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science
- Saitama
- Japan
- Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Comparative study of variations in mechanical stress and strain of human blood vessels: mechanical reference for vascular cell mechano-biology. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2019; 19:519-531. [PMID: 31494790 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-019-01226-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The diseases of human blood vessels are closely associated with local mechanical variations. A better understanding of the quantitative correlation in mechanical environment between the current mechano-biological studies and vascular physiological or pathological conditions in vivo is crucial for evaluating numerous existing results and exploring new factors for disease discovery. In this study, six representative human blood vessels with known experimental measurements were selected, and their stress and strain variations in vessel walls under different blood pressures were analyzed based on nonlinear elastic theory. The results suggest that conventional mechano-biological experiments seeking the different biological expressions of cells at high/low mechanical loadings are ambiguous as references for studying vascular diseases, because distinct "site-specific" characteristics appear in different vessels. The present results demonstrate that the inner surface of the vessel wall does not always suffer the most severe stretch under high blood pressures comparing to the outer surface. Higher tension on the outer surface of aortas supports the hypothesis of the outside-in inflammation dominated by aortic adventitial fibroblasts. These results indicate that cellular studies at different mechanical niches should be "disease-specific" as well. The present results demonstrate considerable stress gradients across the wall thickness, which indicate micro-scale mechanical variations existing around the vascular cells, and imply that the physiological or pathological changes are not static processes confined within isolated regions, but are coupled with dynamic cell behaviors such as migration. The results suggest that the stress gradients, as well as the mechanical stresses and strains, are key factors constituting the mechanical niches, which may shed new light on "factor-specific" experiments of vascular cell mechano-biology.
Collapse
|
47
|
Chandorkar Y, Castro Nava A, Schweizerhof S, Van Dongen M, Haraszti T, Köhler J, Zhang H, Windoffer R, Mourran A, Möller M, De Laporte L. Cellular responses to beating hydrogels to investigate mechanotransduction. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4027. [PMID: 31492837 PMCID: PMC6731269 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11475-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells feel the forces exerted on them by the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) environment and respond to them. While many cell fate processes are dictated by these forces, which are highly synchronized in space and time, abnormal force transduction is implicated in the progression of many diseases (muscular dystrophy, cancer). However, material platforms that enable transient, cyclic forces in vitro to recreate an in vivo-like scenario remain a challenge. Here, we report a hydrogel system that rapidly beats (actuates) with spatio-temporal control using a near infra-red light trigger. Small, user-defined mechanical forces (~nN) are exerted on cells growing on the hydrogel surface at frequencies up to 10 Hz, revealing insights into the effect of actuation on cell migration and the kinetics of reversible nuclear translocation of the mechanosensor protein myocardin related transcription factor A, depending on the actuation amplitude, duration and frequency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yashoda Chandorkar
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Arturo Castro Nava
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Sjören Schweizerhof
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Marcel Van Dongen
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Tamás Haraszti
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Jens Köhler
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Hang Zhang
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Reinhard Windoffer
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, Uniklinik, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Ahmed Mourran
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Martin Möller
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany
| | - Laura De Laporte
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Forckenbeckstr. 50, Aachen, 52074, Germany.
- ITMC- Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52074, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Asmani M, Kotei C, Hsia I, Marecki L, Wang T, Zhou C, Zhao R. Cyclic Stretching of Fibrotic Microtissue Array for Evaluation of Anti-Fibrosis Drugs. Cell Mol Bioeng 2019; 12:529-540. [PMID: 31719931 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-019-00590-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Progression of pulmonary fibrosis, characterized by the deterioration of lung tissue's mechanical properties, is affected by respiratory motion-induced dynamic loading. Since the development of anti-fibrosis drugs faces major hurdles in animal tests and human clinical trials, preclinical models that can recapitulate fibrosis progression under physiologically-relevant cyclic loading hold great promise. However, the integration of these two functions has not been achieved in existing models. Methods Recently we developed static human lung microtissue arrays that recapitulate the progressive changes in tissue mechanics during lung fibrogenesis. In the current study, we integrate the lung microtissue array with a membrane stretching system to enable dynamic loading to the microtissues. The effects of a pro-fibrotic agent and anti-fibrosis drugs were tested under cyclic stretching. Results Cyclic stretching that mimics respiratory motion was shown to affect the cytoskeletal organization and cellular orientation in the microtissue and cause the increase in microtissue contractility and stiffness. Fibrosis induction using TGF-β1 further promoted fibrosis-related mechanical activity of the lung microtissues. Using this system, we examined the therapeutic effects of two FDA approved anti-fibrotic drugs. Our results showed that Nintedanib was able to fully inhibit TGF-β1 induced force increase but only partially inhibited stretching induced force increase. In contrast, Pirfenidone was able to fully inhibit both TGF-β1 induced force increase and stretching-induced force increase. Conclusions Together, these results highlight the pathophysiologically-relevant modeling capability of the current fibrotic microtissue system and demonstrated the potential of this system to be used for anti-fibrosis drug screening.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadnabi Asmani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| | - Christopher Kotei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| | - Isaac Hsia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| | - Leo Marecki
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| | - Tianjiao Wang
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| | - Chi Zhou
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| | - Ruogang Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Pneumatic unidirectional cell stretching device for mechanobiological studies of cardiomyocytes. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2019; 19:291-303. [PMID: 31444593 PMCID: PMC7005075 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-019-01211-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we present a transparent mechanical stimulation device capable of uniaxial stimulation, which is compatible with standard bioanalytical methods used in cellular mechanobiology. We validate the functionality of the uniaxial stimulation system using human-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). The pneumatically controlled device is fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and provides uniaxial strain and superior optical performance compatible with standard inverted microscopy techniques used for bioanalytics (e.g., fluorescence microscopy and calcium imaging). Therefore, it allows for a continuous investigation of the cell state during stretching experiments. The paper introduces design and fabrication of the device, characterizes the mechanical performance of the device and demonstrates the compatibility with standard bioanalytical analysis tools. Imaging modalities, such as high-resolution live cell phase contrast imaging and video recordings, fluorescent imaging and calcium imaging are possible to perform in the device. Utilizing the different imaging modalities and proposed stretching device, we demonstrate the capability of the device for extensive further studies of hiPSC-CMs. We also demonstrate that sarcomere structures of hiPSC-CMs organize and orient perpendicular to uniaxial strain axis and thus express more maturated nature of cardiomyocytes.
Collapse
|
50
|
Caberlotto E, Bernal M, Miller Z, Poole A, Ruiz L, Tanter M, Gennisson JL, Querleux B. Controlled mechanical vibration and impacts on skin biology. Skin Res Technol 2019; 25:881-889. [PMID: 31400033 DOI: 10.1111/srt.12753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Different biological models have shown how mechanical stimulation may induce physiological responses from solicited cells, tissues, or organs. In models of cultured skin cells, the frequency of the mechanical stress appears to be a paramount parameter, generating a biological response in some cells, particularly from dermal fibroblasts. Our objective was to explore in ex vivo human skin explants the effects of mechanical stimulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mechanical stimulations were provided by a torque test device, with different end effectors, able to generate cyclic strains at different frequencies (from 40 to 120 Hz). Skin explant samples were stimulated twice daily by the device for one minute, over 10 days. RESULTS At days 0, 5, and 10, samples were processed by immunohistological procedures, allowing some structural dermal proteins to be quantified (fluorescence). As compared to untreated skin explant samples, the stimulation procedure clearly led some proteins of the dermal-epidermal and some dermal proteins to be overexpressed. This stimulation was found to be frequency-dependent, with the greatest overall increases occurring at 60 and 90 Hz. CONCLUSION For the first time, ultrafast ultrasound imaging in vitro (phantom mimicking skin mechanical properties) was used to analyze mechanical waves transmitted to the skin layers as a function of end effector shape.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel Bernal
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, CNRS UMR7587, INSERM U979, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Zane Miller
- L'Oréal Research and Innovation Redmond, Redmond, WA, USA
| | - Aaron Poole
- L'Oréal Research and Innovation Redmond, Redmond, WA, USA
| | - Laetitia Ruiz
- L'Oréal Research and Innovation, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France
| | - Mickaël Tanter
- Institut Langevin, ESPCI Paris, CNRS UMR7587, INSERM U979, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Luc Gennisson
- IR4M, CNRS, CEA SHFJ, 4 Place du general Leclerc, Université Paris-sud, Orsay, France
| | | |
Collapse
|