Effect of Mechanical Stimulation on Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Different Cell Lines: A Systematic Review

Stem cells due to their great potential can help in establishing tissue engineering as a new treatment modality. Numerous studies have evaluated the effect of various chemical and mechanical stimuli on these cells. In this respect، the role of mechanical loads is undeniable. This systematic review evaluated studies on the effects of mechanical loads on differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to different cell lineages published in the past 12 years. In this systematic review، PUBMED database was used to search key words namely “human mesenchymal stem cell”، “strain،”، “mechanical loading،” and “differentiation”، in the literature published from 2000 to July 2012. The inclusion criteria were the publication year، language of articles، type of cells and study objectives. In total، 46 articles were evaluated qualitatively. In most studies، applied mechanical loads led to the anticipated differentiation. Studies showed that the combination of two forces increased differentiation. The a mount of applied strain also influenced the type of differentiation. This review indicated that advances made on the effects of mechanical loads on stem cells can be used for improving tissue engineering treatments.