Investigation of central nervous system neurons under mechanical strain: An in vitro traumatic brain injury model

Effects of mechanical loading on development of central nervous system (CNS) cells and neurite extension have been recognized recently. Effects of loading are very complicated, since until a threshold, tension plays a positive role while after the threshold value, it is degenerative. The situation gets more complicated since CNS is made up of several different cell types that respond to various loads differently. There are some mechanical trauma models in the literature, but they usually employ hard and two dimensional culture substrates, which fail to mimic the natural niche of the cells. The aim of this work is to create an experimental model that can mimic the physiological habitat and normal loading conditions, and investigate the responses of CNS cells in response to different mechanical stimuli and strains, and therefore evaluate the effects of mechanical stress on cell development, neurite extension and degeneration, in order to be used in therapeutic investigations for neurodegenerative diseases. Electrospun poly-caprolactone (PCL) scaffolds were used as tissue engineering scaffolds, and B35 central nervous system neuron cell line was employed. Effects of mechanical strain on cell morphology, neurite extension and cytoskeleton, and after the threshold value, on apoptosis have been examined in morphological and molecular level.