Stress effect on 3D culturing of MC3T3-E1 cells on microporous bovine bone slices

The choosing of micromechanical environment is very important for the growth of bone-related cells. In this paper, bovine cancellous bone slices with 3D porous structures were used for 3D culturing of MC3T3-E1 cells (Mouse embryo osteoblast precursor cells) through a four-point-bending device due to their good biocompatibility and strength. Effects of micromechanical environment on the growth of MC3TC-E1 cells were investigated by immunofluorescent staining and alkaline phosphatase analysis, and the most positive microporous structures were found. In addition, a model of cell density vs stress was established through a specific normalization method and finite element simulation. The results showed that the micromechanical environment of the bone slices promoted cell proliferation, and the detail influence of stress on cell proliferation could be described by the mathematical model, which could provide a theoretical basis for the design of micromechanical environment in the bone tissue engineering scaffolds to stimulate cell proliferation.