title: Rigidity of silicone substrates controls cell spreading and stem cell differentiation.
abstract: The dependences of spreading and differentiation of stem cells plated on hydrogel and silicone gel substrates on the rigidity and porosity of the substrates have recently been a subject of some controversy. In experiments on human mesenchymal stem cells plated on soft, medium rigidity, and hard silicone gels we show that harder gels are more osteogenic, softer gels are more adipogenic, and cell spreading areas increase with the silicone gel substrate rigidity. The results of our study indicate that substrate rigidity induces some universal cellular responses independently of the porosity or topography of the substrate.
authors.affiliation: Stemedica Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
authors.forename: Grigory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vertelov
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Sin-Ae
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ronan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Groisman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tkachenko
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012828:Silicones / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate