The effect of step-wise increased stretching on rat calvarial osteoblast collagen production

Mechanical forces regulate the function of bone cells. In this paper, the effects of cyclic stretching on osteoblasts derived from rat calvaria were studied at a magnitude occurring in physiological loaded bone tissue. A four-point bending apparatus was used to apply cyclic stretching on osteoblasts. Stretching at 500 με for 2–24 h resulted in an increase in matrix synthesis(P<0.01). In contrast, the cyclic stretching at 1000 and 1500 με for 2–24 h inhibited osteoblast collagen production (P<0.01). We also described our new loading method to increase strain magnitude step-by-step. The strain magnitude increased by 500 με increments from 500 to 1500 με every 2 or 12 h, respectively. Results showed that osteoblasts could absorb large amount of proline for collagen synthesis when stretched at 500 με. However, not all the absorbed proline was used to synthesize collagen. Some of it was stored in cells. When the suitable signal (500 με) was changed to an inhibiting signal (1000 με), cells responded to it accordingly and released proline to medium. These results demonstrate that the response of osteoblasts is dependent on the magnitude of the strain applied and cells can adjust their bio-chemical response to adapt to the changing environmental stimulation.