Mechanobiology of the female reproductive system

Abstract

The field of mechanobiology focuses on how the responses of cells, tissues, and organs to mechanical cues, resulting from both intracellularly generated and externally generated forces, contribute to development, differentiation, physiology and disease via the integration of medicine, biology, engineering, and physics. [1][2][3] How living cells can sense their environment and adequately respond in terms of morphology, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and survival requires understanding at multiple scales, from molecules to single cells, tissues, and organs. [1][2][3] More than a century ago, mechanical forces were proposed to drive embryogenesis and bone structure. [1][2][3] The importance of mechanical forces for biological regulation was recognized in the field of developmental biology at the beginning of the twentieth century. [1][2][3] However, there were no experimental tools available to directly test

Stiff Extracellular Matrix Promotes Invasive Behaviors of Trophoblast Cells

“…Several studies recently uncovered the role of mechanical forces before and during human embryo implantation [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The mechanical properties of the human endometrium are complex, and spatiotemporal changes exist during embryo implantation [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Several studies recently uncovered the role of mechanical forces before and during human embryo implantation [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The mechanical properties of the human endometrium are complex, and spatiotemporal changes exist during embryo implantation [ 8 , 9 ]. Mechanical indentation was used to demonstrate that mechanical properties significantly differ between anatomical locations in both nonpregnant and pregnant uterine tissue [ 10 ].…”

Soft-robotic ciliated epidermis for reconfigurable coordinated fluid manipulation

“…Second, the biocompatibility of the ciliated epidermis materials needs to be tested and validated for future specific biomedical applications. We envision that with the improvement to the actuators’ lifetime, the ciliated epidermis can be used as an implantable device to replace the malfunctioning cilia inside the human body where locally heterogeneous flow conditions are favored ( 52 ), or as a fluid flow agitation device to mimic the function of the epithelial cilia in the oviduct to increase the development rate and reduce the abnormal rate in the in vitro embryo culture where dynamically changing flow conditions are desired ( 53 , 54 ). Moreover, they could also be deployed on the surfaces of various underwater soft robots to augment their functional interaction with the fluidic environments for advanced locomotion and functionalities.…”

Ovarian Biomechanics: From Health to Disease

“…Normal ovarian structure is divided into two parts: the cortex and the medulla. Different structural areas provide different hardness environments for primordial follicles: the ovarian cortex comprises connective tissue, which occupies most of the ovary; however, the medulla is located in the center of the ovary and comprises loose connective tissue (19). In general, the rigidity of the cortex is greater than that of the medulla, providing a rigid environment for the complete preservation of primordial follicles.…”