Tensile Forces Stimulate Vascular Remodeling and Epidermal Cell Proliferation in Living Skin

Pietramaggiori, Giorgio; Liu, Perry; Scherer, Saja; Kaipainen, Arja; Prsa, Michael J.; Mayer, Horacio F.; Newalder, Jennifer; Alperovich, Michael; Mentzer, Steven J.; Konerding, Moritz A.; Huang, Sui; Ingber, Donald E.; Orgill, Dennis P.

doi:10.1097/sla.0b013e3180caa47f

Cited by 130 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…His work reveals that 'molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and our entire bodies use tensegrity architecture to mechanically stabilize their shape, and to seamlessly integrate structure and function at all size scales.' In this way, it explains how at a mechanistic level intermittent mechanical forces applied externally such as vibration [45,61] , movement or exercise [28,50] , centrifugation [48] , push or pull or intermittent tension [77] can influence cell and tissue growth, biochemistry and physiology.…”

Section: Summary and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space, Gravity and the Physiology of Aging: Parallel or Convergent Disciplines? A Mini-Review

Vernikos

Schneider²

2009

Gerontology

164

105

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The abnormal physiology that manifests itself in healthy humans during their adaptation to the microgravity of space has all the features of accelerated aging. The mechano-skeletal and vestibulo-neuromuscular stimuli which are below threshold in space, result in an overall greater than 10-fold more rapid onset and time course of muscle and bone atrophy in space and the development of balance and coordination problems on return to Earth than occur with aging. Similarly, the loss of functional capacity of the cardiovascular system that results in space and continuous bed rest is over 10 times faster than in the course of aging. Deconditioning in space from gravity deprivation has brought attention to the medical hazards of deconditioning on Earth from gravity withdrawal as in sedentary aging. Though seemingly reversible after periods of 6 months in space or its ground analog of bed rest, it remains to be seen whether that will be so after longer exposures. Both adaptation to space and aging do not merely parallel but converge as disorders of mechanotransduction. Like spaceflight, its analog bed rest telescopes the changes observed with aging and serves as a useful clinical model for the study of age-related deconditioning. The convergence of the disciplines of aging, along with gravitational and space physiology is advancing the understanding and prevention of modern lifestyle medical disorders.

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Section: Summary and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space, Gravity and the Physiology of Aging: Parallel or Convergent Disciplines? A Mini-Review

Vernikos

Schneider²

2009

Gerontology

164

105

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“…1). 1,2 In addition, other biophysical forces such as electrical, magnetic, or electromagnetic forces have been shown to have biological effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stretch also induced a significant increase in vascular surface area on histological sections, dependant on both the intensity of force and the pattern of stimulation. 2 In a model of unidirectional tensile mechanostimulation of the dorsal skin of mice we confirmed a pro-angiogenic effect of skin stretching with two-five to three-five-fold increase in vessels density 2 days after either continuous or cyclical (2 min on/1 min off ) stimulation for up to 4 h. 43 The stimulation was accompanied by an elevation of gene expression for HIF-1a, consistent with the expected presence of some degree of hypoxia during stretch basing on the observations gathered from gene chip analysis performed on rat ear stimulated samples. 44 Expression of VEGF and other downstream growth factors that can in part account for the angiogenic response was also elevated.…”

Section: In Vivo Models Of Mechanical Control Of Angiogenesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The shape and relative position of all molecules and organelles connected to the cytoskeleton are affected, changing the likeliness of reactions to occur and providing a mechanism to transform resting 1 (b) Also in vivo tension is a pro-proliferative stimulus, up to a breaking point at which excessive tension damages tissues. Reprinted with permission from Pietramaggiori et al 2 To see this illustration in color, the reader is referred to the web version of this article at www.liebertpub.com/wound Figure 3. According to the tensegrity theory, cells are multimodular tensegrity structures.…”

Section: Basics Of Mechanobiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mechanoregulation of Angiogenesis in Wound Healing

Lancerotto

Orgill

2014

Advances in Wound Care

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Significance: Mechanical forces are important regulators of cell and tissue function. Endothelial cells proliferate in response to tissue stretch and the mechanical properties of the environment direct capillary sprouting and growth. As the vascular network is a key factor in physiology and disease, control of the vascularity by means of mechanical forces could lead to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. Recent Advances: Increased understanding of mechanobiology has stimulated translational research and allowed the development and optimization of clinical devices that exploit mechanical forces for the treatment of diseases, in particular in the field of wound healing. Stretching in distraction osteogenesis and tissue expansion induces neogenesis of well-vascularized tissues. In micro-deformational wound therapy, micro-mechanical distortions of the wound bed stimulate cell proliferation and angiogenesis by stretching resident cells to improve healing of difficult wounds. Relief from tension antagonizes proliferation and angiogenesis in primarily closed wounds allowing for better scar quality. Critical Issues: The integration of mechanobiology into traditional cell biology and pathophysiology in general is not yet complete and further research is needed to fill existing gaps, in particular in the complexity of in vivo conditions. Future Directions: Still largely unexplored approaches based on mechanical perturbation of the micro-/macro-environment can be devised to overcome the limits of current strategies in a broad spectrum of clinical conditions. SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCEMechanical forces are important regulators of cell and tissue biology. This review explains our current understanding of how mechanical stimuli affect cell and tissue biology with a focus on angiogenesis related to wound healing.

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“…However, the presence of an ulcer or an open wound within the vicinity makes the use of these balloon tissue expanders risky. External tissue expansion techniques were found to help in expanding skin in the presence of open wounds, partly by stretching the adjacent skin, partly by recruiting skin from the surroundings, and partly by generating new skin [5][6][7][8] to attain tension-free closure of difficult-to-close wounds. This article describes a new external tissue expansion technique utilizing an external fixator to generate extra skin and attain direct closure of wounds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

External tissue expansion using an external fixator for direct closure of problem wounds

Ratnam¹

2011

Eur J Plast Surg

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Small-to medium-sized ulcers and wounds that are "difficult-to-close" constitute the bulk of wounds that cause problems in closure. Direct suture is the best-known option to treat wounds, but all wounds are not amenable for it. Such problem wounds require treatment techniques such as skin grafting and flap coverage. An external fixator, called "Joshi's external stabilization system," was used in this technique. Two Kirschner wires were attached to two specialized adjustable screws, called "distracters," to construct the external fixator. One Kirschner wire each was passed intradermally on either side of a wound, and their ends were connected by the specialized screws, called the distracters. The knobs of these distracters were turned at regular intervals. With turning of the knobs each time, the Kirschner wires moved toward each other and brought the wound edges along with them. When the wound's edges met each other, the wounds were closed with sutures, and the external fixator was removed. This technique was applied for 16 patients, for defects of 2.5-10 cm size, from head to foot, over a 3-year period, from January, 2008 to December, 2010. There were 11 male and five female patients, between ages 5 and 93 years. Treatment duration ranged from 10 to 28 days, and follow-up was from 3 to 24 months. This technique was found useful to attain direct closure of chronic ulcers and difficult-to-close wounds and obviate the need for, and render superior results compared to, skin grafting and flap coverage.

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Tensile Forces Stimulate Vascular Remodeling and Epidermal Cell Proliferation in Living Skin

Abstract: Mechanical forces stimulate cell proliferation and vascular remodeling in living skin. As cell growth and vascular supply are critical to wound healing and tissue expansion, devices applying controlled mechanical loads to tissues may be a powerful therapy to treat tissue defects.

Cited by 130 publications

References 18 publications

Space, Gravity and the Physiology of Aging: Parallel or Convergent Disciplines? A Mini-Review

Space, Gravity and the Physiology of Aging: Parallel or Convergent Disciplines? A Mini-Review

Mechanoregulation of Angiogenesis in Wound Healing

External tissue expansion using an external fixator for direct closure of problem wounds

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