CELL-MATRIX INTERACTIONS MODULATE MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL RESPONSE TO DYNAMIC COMPRESSION

摘要

Unconfined cyclic compressive loading has been shown to promote the chondrogenic differentiation of agarose encapsulated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the absence of chondrogenic growth factors [1, 2]. However, in general robust chondrogenesis has not been reported as a result of mechanical stimulation alone; with biochemical stimulation through TGF-β supplementation yielding a more potent pro-chondrogenic effect [2, 3]. The majority of studies examining the effects of dynamic compression on MSC chondrogenesis have utilized agarose or alginate hydrogels as the scaffold material. This results in spherical cell morphology upon encapsulation, with the cell being unable to directly bind to the inert scaffold material. It is hypothesized that cell-matrix interactions will regulate the response of MSCs to extrinsic mechanical signals. To test this hypothesis, bone marrow derived MSCs were encapsulated into both agarose and fibrin hydrogels and subjected to dynamic compression in the presence of various concentrations of TGF-β3.