http://ajpcell.physiology.org – Mechanical force applied to bone produces two localized mechanical signals on the cell: deformation of the extracellular matrix (substrate strain) and extracellular fluid flow. To study the effects of these stimuli on osteoblasts, MC3T3-E1 cells were grown on type I collagen-coated plastic plates and subjected to four-point bending. This technique produces uniform levels of physiological strain and fluid forces on the cells. Each of these parameters can be varied independently. Osteopontin (OPN) mRNA expression was used to assess the anabolic response of MC3T3-E1 cells. Read more »

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com – Several in vivo and in vitro studies with different loading regimens showed that mechanical stimuli have an influence on proliferation and differentiation of bone cells. Prerequisite for this influence is the transduction of mechanical signals into the cell, a phenomenon that is termed mechanotransduction, which is essential for the maintenance of skeletal homeostasis in adults. Read more »

http://www.sciencedirect.com – This bone mechanosensory hypothesis is partially sustained by experi- mental evidence and model calculations that will be described. The ques- tions addressed by these studies include the following: (a) Which cells (osteoblasts, osteocytes, bone-lining cells) are the bone mechanosensors? (b) What mechanical stimulus activates the mechanosensor? And (c) How is a local mechanical signal translated into an anabolic or catabolic event? Over the last decade, important progress has been made related to these questions, that will be reviewed here. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Osteoblasts are key components of the bone multicellular unit and have a seminal role in bone remodeling, which is an essential function for the maintenance of the structural integrity and metabolic capacity of the skeleton. The coordinated function of skeletal cells is regulated by several hormones, growth factors and mechanical cues that act via interconnected signaling networks, resulting in the activation of specific transcription factors and, in turn, their target genes. Read more »