Soft tissue mechanotransduction in wound healing and fibrosis

Recent evidence suggests that mechanical forces can significantly impact the biologic response to injury. Integrated mechanical and chemical signaling networks have been discovered that enable physical cues to regulate disease processes such as pathologic scar formation. Distinct molecular mechanisms control how tensional forces influence wound healing and fibrosis. Conceptual frameworks to understand cutaneous repair have expanded beyond traditional cell-cytokine models to include dynamic interactions driven by mechanical force and the extracellular matrix. Strategies to manipulate these biomechanical signaling networks have tremendous therapeutic potential to reduce scar formation and promote skin regeneration.

► Mechanical forces influence skin development, homeostasis, and disease. ► Chemical and physical cues act in parallel to control cell activity and regulate wound repair. ► Cellular mechanotransduction pathways need to be integrated on a complex tissue level. ► The field of wound mechanobiology has the potential to significantly impact fibroproliferative disease.