It is widely accepted that numerous cell types respond to mechanical stimuli, yet there is no general agreement as to whether particular cells respond directly to stress, strain, strain-rate, strain-energy, or other mechanical quantities. By recalling the definitions of the mathematical (not physical) concepts of stress and strain, it is suggested herein that cells cannot respond directly to these continuum metrics or to quantities derived from them — mechanistic models will need to be based on more fundamental quantities, as, for example, inter-atomic forces or conformational changes of the appropriate molecules. Nonetheless, the concepts of stress and strain should continue to play an important role in mechanobiology, both in the identification of empirical correlations and in the development of phenomenological constitutive models, each of which can contribute to our basic understanding as well as help in the design of future experiments and some clinical interventions. It is important to remember, therefore, that empirical correlations and most constitutive relations in continuum mechanics do not seek to model the actual physics — rather, their utility is in their predictive capability, which is often achieved via different relations in terms of different metrics for the same material under different conditions. Hence, with regard to quantifying cellular responses to mechanical stimuli, we must delineate between the identification of fundamental mechanisms and the formulation of phenomenological correlations, the latter of which only requires convenient metrics that need not be unique or physical.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
December 2001
Technical Briefs
Stress, Strain, and Mechanotransduction in Cells
J. D. Humphrey, Mem. ASME
J. D. Humphrey, Mem. ASME
Biomedical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3120
Search for other works by this author on:
J. D. Humphrey, Mem. ASME
Biomedical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3120
Contributed by the Bioengineering Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICAL ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the Bioengineering Division January 26, 2001; revised manuscript received August 6, 2001. Associate Editor: C. Dong.
J Biomech Eng. Dec 2001, 123(6): 638-641 (4 pages)
Published Online: August 6, 2001
Article history
Received:
January 26, 2001
Revised:
August 6, 2001
Citation
Humphrey, J. D. (August 6, 2001). "Stress, Strain, and Mechanotransduction in Cells." ASME. J Biomech Eng. December 2001; 123(6): 638–641. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1406131
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Effect of Internal Mechanical Environment of Porous Scaffolds on Mechano-driven Bone Ingrowth: A Numerical Study
J Biomech Eng (September 2023)
In Silico Mechanical Effort Analysis of the All-On-4 Design Performed With Platform-Switching Distal Short Dental Implants
J Biomech Eng (September 2023)
Related Articles
Mechanical Stimulation of Tendon Tissue Engineered Constructs: Effects on Construct Stiffness, Repair Biomechanics, and Their Correlation
J Biomech Eng (December,2007)
Computational Model of the Cerebral Ventricles in Hydrocephalus
J Biomech Eng (May,2010)
Mechanical Characterization of Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells
J Biomech Eng (June,2009)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Vibration Analysis of the Seated Human Body in Vertical Direction
International Conference on Computer Technology and Development, 3rd (ICCTD 2011)
Estimating Resilient Modulus Using Neural Network Models
Intelligent Engineering Systems Through Artificial Neural Networks, Volume 17
Calculation of VFTOs Caused by Multi-Reignitions of Disconnector
International Symposium on Information Engineering and Electronic Commerce, 3rd (IEEC 2011)