Mechanical and Physical Regulation of Cell Behavior

Mechanical signals are key factors in cell and tissue morphogenesis, homeostasis, and remodeling. Physical extracellular environments are translated into cytosolic biochemical signaling activities through mechanotransduction behavior. A breakdown in mechanotransduction and a loss of mechanical tissue homeostasis have been proposed as key factors in many diseases. Cells in vivo experience multimodal mechanical stimulations including tension, compression, fluid flow-induced shear, etc. These stimulations have the potential to regulate cell growth, signaling factor secretion, extracellular matrix production, cell fate decision, and tissue remodeling. Functional tissue engineering has utilized various mechanical stimuli to closely match in vivo environments, e.g., compression for cartilage regeneration, flow shear for bone formation, etc. These efforts aimed to achieve the goal of "biomimetic" regeneration of damaged tissues. The use of mechanical stimuli for regulating cell behavior is reviewed in this chapter using the categories of tensile stretching in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) conditions, compression and hydrostatic pressure, fluid flow-induced shear stress in 2D, 3D, and microfluidic conditions, as well as alternative stimulation techniques. Specifically, mechanical control of cells is highlighted with respect to dental regenerative medicine.