Adhesion strength and morphologies of rBMSCS during initial adhesion and spreading

Cell adhesion plays an important role in cell physiology. A better understanding of this process could facilitate many clinical therapies. In this study, Rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) were cultured on glass substrate, and the morphology and adhesion strength were characterized. The cell morphology was defined as spherical, adhesive, and spreading. The adhesion strengths of the different morphologies exhibited different distribution patterns. The spherical cells exhibited low adhesion strength; the adhesive cells exhibited rapidly increasing adhesion strength while their diameters remained relatively constant. The adhesion strength increased with the cell diameter in the spreading cells. These findings suggest that adhesion strength can be quickly assessed by examining the cell morphology.