[Effect of cyclic strain on cell morphology, viability and proliferation of human dental pulp cells in vitro].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of mechanical strain on cell morphology, viability and proliferation of human dental pulp cells in vitro.


METHODS
Human dental pulp cells were cultured and subjected to 2% or 8% strain with Flexcell Tension Plus System for 0.5 hour, 12 hours and 24 hours, respectively, and then the cell morphology, viability and proliferation were examined by phase contrast microscope, trypan-blue staining and MTT method. The results were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with SPSS16.0 software package.


RESULTS
Cells were stretched and aligned perpendicular to the direction of the force applied with obvious pole formation under the tested condition. The viability and proliferation of the cells subjected 2% or 8% strain were significantly higher than that of untreated cells, which reached the peak at 12 hours. The proliferation of the cells increased after loading strain which was significantly higher than that in the control by 2% stain subjected for 24 hours (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Cyclic strain could affect morphology, viability and proliferation of in vitro cultured human dental pulp cells in a magnitude/time dependent manner.
Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Stomatology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China. cold_fish_yu@yahoo.com.cn
Jing
J
Yu
Ya-jia
YJ
Xie
Duo
D
Xu
Shou-liang
SL
Zhao
D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003782:Dental Pulp; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques