Abstract:

BACKGROUND: One of the basic functions of bone is its adaptation to mechanical loading environment. Bone cells are the mechanosensitive cells in bone tissue. However, the mechanisms by which mechanical signals are transduced to chemical signals that influence bone growth and metabolism remain unidentified. 
OBJECTIVE: To understand the mechanotransduction pathways in osteoblasts and osteocytes, and to provide a theoretical basis for further study.
METHODS: PubMed database was retrieved by computer with key words of “osteoblast, osteocyte, bone cells, mechanical stress”. According to inclusion criteria, 69 articles were included to summarize the transduction of mechanical signals of bone cells.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: One of the basic functions of bone is its adaptation to mechanical loading environment. Bone cells are mechanosensitive cells. However, how the transduction of mechanical signals of cells realizes and how regulates skeleton remain poorly understood. Studies confirmed that due to the construction features and cell location of skeleton, osteoblasts and osteocytes are the most important mechanosensitive cells in bone tissue. The process of mechanotransduction can be divided into four distinct steps: ① mechanocoupling; ② biochemical coupling; ③ signal transmission; ④ effector response of bone cells. Through these four steps, the loads acting on the bones are transduced into biochemical signals, and then change the function of bone cells, finally induce the changes of bone structures to adapt the mechanical environment. The regulatory mechanisms of mechanical signals in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells require further investigation.