A pneumatic micro cell chip for the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells under mechanical stimulation

Abstract

A new micro cell chip which can induce stem cells to differentiate into specific body cell types has been designed and fabricated for tissue engineering. This paper presents the test results of a micro cell stimulator which can provide a new miniaturized tool in cell stimulation, culture and analysis for stem cell research. The micro cell stimulator is designed to apply compressive pressure to the hMSCs (human mesenchymal stem cells) for inducing osteogenesis. The micro cell stimulator is based on the pneumatic actuator with a flexible diaphragm which consists of an air chamber and cell chambers. The hMSCs under cyclic compressive stimulation for one week were observed and assessed by monitoring CD90 (Thy-1), actin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alizarin red expression. The results suggest that cyclic mechanical stimulation is attributed to the different phenomenon of cultured hMSCs in cell proliferation and differentiation. These results are important for the feasibility of the micro cell stimulator to provide the reduction of the necessary quantity of cells, process cost and the increase of the throughput.

Development and Applications of Microfluidic Devices for Cell Culture in Cell Biology

“…Temperature was shown to significantly affect the early development of the embryo. Other factors include dissolved oxygen, compressive pressure and electricity also proved to have influence on stem cell differentiation [120][121][122].…”

Technology Advancement for Integrative Stem Cell Analyses

“…114 These studies showed that the limited passage numbers of the same cell or population expansion in nonhomeostatic conditions. 68,118,119 There are only a few examples using a high-throughput method to access differentiation of stem cells where in vitro conditions are inadequate. 51,58,117 In the absence of an in vitro approach that considers all aspects of stem cell-driven regeneration, in vivo monitoring approaches are the main alternative to visualize stem cells in a precise spatiotemporal manner, where a 3D environmental milieu is already available, including chemical components and physical cues.…”

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Functional Bone Tissue Engineering: Lessons from Bone Mechanobiology

“…Cyclic compression has been shown to stimulate osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in vitro and in vivo. 36,174,175 Although there has been little work to date on the effect of compression on ASC osteogenic differentiation, it has been implicated in MSC osteogenesis and thus likely is another important mediator of ASC lineage specification. A majority of the work in MSC suggests that cyclic compressive loading leads to a chondrogenic phenotype, 176,177 though there is some evidence it may also enhance osteogenic differentiation.…”