Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells acquire bone cell-like responsiveness to fluid shear stress on osteogenic stimulation.

To engineer bone tissue, mechanosensitive cells are needed that are able to perform bone cell-specific functions, such as (re)modeling of bone tissue. In vivo, local bone mass and architecture are affected by mechanical loading, which is thought to provoke a cellular response via loading-induced flow of interstitial fluid. Adipose tissue is an easily accessible source of mesenchymal stem cells for bone tissue engineering, and is available in abundant amounts compared with bone marrow. We studied whether adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) are responsive to mechanical loading by pulsating fluid flow (PFF) on osteogenic stimulation in vitro. We found that ATMSCs show a bone cell-like response to fluid shear stress as a result of PFF after the stimulation of osteogenic differentiation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. PFF increased nitric oxide production, as well as upregulated cyclooxygenase-2, but not cyclooxygenase-1, gene expression in osteogenically stimulated AT-MSCs. These data suggest that AT-MSCs acquire bone cell-like responsiveness to pulsating fluid shear stress on 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced osteogenic differentiation. ATMSCs might be able to perform bone cell-specific functions during bone (re)modeling in vivo and, therefore, provide a promising new tool for bone tissue engineering.