Table 1 Summary of stem cell responses to various mechanical stimuli

Adult stem cells

MSCs

Osteogenic differentiation

Applied forces (cyclic/static)

[69]

Increase cell area

[2]

Increase in substrate rigidity

[1]

Activate RhoA

[68, 69]

Random nanotopography

[96]

Chondrogenic/adipogenic differentiation

Decrease cell area

[2, 64]

Decrease in substrate rigidity

[1]

Inhibition of RhoA

[65]

Myogenic/smooth muscle cell differentiation

Applied force (for example, cyclic strain)

[98]

Intermediate substrate rigidity

[46]

Cell shape: activation of Rac1

[64]

Neurogenesis

Soft substrate rigidity

[1]

Anisotropic (line) topography

[4]

Enhanced endocytosis

Pillar topography

[99]

ASCs

Myogenic differentiation

Intermediate substrate rigidity

[46]

Chondrogenic differentiation

RhoA inhibitor

[93]

NSCs/NPCs

Support neuronal differentiation

Suppression of RhoA and Cdc42 activity

[67]

Anisotropic topography

[92]

Embryonic stem cells

Increase spreading

Applied forces

[48]

Increase viability upon dissociation

Inhibition of ROCK activity or actomyosin contractility

[60, 61]

Neuronal differentiation

Anisotropic (line) topography

[94]

Osteogenic differentiation

Pillar topography

[95]