A device for long term, in vitro loading of three-dimensional natural and engineered tissues.

In vitro studies of mechanical loads applied to three-dimensional tissue constructs are important to the design and production of functional, engineered bone tissue. This study reports the development and characterization of a mechanical device capable of subjecting a three-dimensional section of natural or engineered tissue to precise, reproducible four-point bending deformations over a range of programmable magnitudes and frequencies. To test the biological and mechanical capabilities of the system, a low-cycle (360 cycles/day), medium-range strain (2500 microstrain), long-term (16 day) loading regime was applied to rat bone marrow stromal cells cultured in porous DL-polylactic acid scaffolds.