Cells in fluidic environments are sensitive to flow frequency.
Virtually all cells accommodate to their mechanical environment. In particular, cells subject to flow respond to rapid changes in fluid shear stress (SS), cyclic stretch (CS), and pressure. Recent studies have focused on the effect of pulsatility on cellular behavior. Since cells of many different tissue beds are constantly exposed to fluid flows over a narrow range of frequencies, we hypothesized that an intrinsic flow frequency that is optimal for determining cell phenotype exists. We report here that cells from various tissue beds (bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), rat small intestine epithelial cells (RSIEC), and rat lung epithelial cells (RLEC)) proliferate maximally when cultured in a perfusion bioreactor under pulsatile conditions at a specific frequency, independent of the applied SS. Vascular endothelial and pulmonary epithelial cell proliferation peaked under 1 Hz pulsatile flow. In contrast, proliferation of gastrointestinal cells, which in their physiological context are subject to no flow or higher wavelength signal, was maximum at 0.125 Hz or under no flow. Moreover, exposure of BAEC to pulsatile flow of varying frequency influenced their nitric oxide synthase activity and prostacyclin production, which reached maximum values at 1 Hz. Notably, the "optimal" frequencies for the cell types examined correspond to the physiologic operating range of the organs from where they were initially derived. These findings suggest that frequency, independent of shear, is an essential determinant of cell response in pulsatile environments.
Balcells
Mercedes
M
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. merche@mit.edu
Fernández Suárez
Marta
M
Vázquez
María
M
Edelman
Elazer R
ER
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology; D002417:Cattle; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology; D008954:Models, Biological; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D010477:Perfusion; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000166:cytology; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D011464:Epoprostenol; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat