Engineering stem cell metabolism using biomaterial-induced mechanotransduction

作者：Juul Verbakel, Jan de Boer · 发表于：Cell Biomaterials · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.celbio.2025.100192 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：3D Printing in Biomedical Research、Cancer Cells and Metastasis、Pluripotent Stem Cells Research

Stem cell fate is governed by intrinsic metabolic programs and extrinsic biomechanical cues. External mechanical forces are sensed via mechanotransduction and play a vital role in controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Cells exist in dynamic environments where mechanical forces and energy metabolism display an intricate crosstalk. Besides supplying energy and biosynthetic precursors for cell growth and differentiation, metabolic reprogramming has an instructive role by actively guiding lineage commitment through metabolic signaling and epigenetic remodeling. Understanding how mechanical forces drive metabolic reprogramming opens new avenues for cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. The integration of biomaterial-derived biophysical cues to induce mechanosensing-mediated metabolic switches offers an approach to match requirements of stem cell pluripotency, differentiation, proliferation, and immunomodulation. This review explores the intricate, reciprocal crosstalk between mechanotransduction and metabolism, highlighting new perspectives on how biomaterial design can be leveraged to steer stem cell fate through metabolic control and epigenetic regulation.