Mechanical forces greatly influence cellular organization and behavior. Cells respond to applied stress by changes in form and composition until a suitable state is reestablished. However, without any mechanical stimuli cells stop proliferating, discontinue migration, go into cell-cycle arrest, and eventually die. Hence, one can assume that pathologies closely depending on cell migration like cancer or atherosclerosis might be governed by biophysical parameters. Moreover, mechanical cues will have fundamental effects in wound healing. Especially negative pressure wound therapy has the potential to endorse wound healing by induction of both macrodeformation (wound contraction) and microdeformation (tissue reactions at microscopic level). So far, the capacity for researchers to study the link between mechanical stimulation and biological response has been limited by the lack of instrumentation capable of stimulating the tissue in an appropriate manner. However, first reports on application of micromechanical forces to wounds elucidate the roles of cell stretch, substrate stiffness, and tissue deformation during cell proliferation and differentiation. This review deals with their findings and tries to establish a link between the current knowledge and the questions that are essential to clinicians in the field: What is the significance of mirodeformations for wound healing? Does "dead space" impede propagation of mechanical cues? How can microdeformations induce cell proliferation? What role do fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells play in chronic wounds with regard to micromechanical forces?
© 2013 by the Wound Healing Society.