Magnetically actuated cell-laden microscale hydrogels for probing strain-induced cell responses in three dimensions

Living cells respond to their mechanical microenvironments during development, healing, tissue remodeling and homeostasis attainment. However, this mechanosensitivity has not yet been established definitively for cells in three-dimensional (3D) culture environments, in part because of challenges associated with providing uniform and consistent 3D environments that can deliver a large range of physiological and pathophysiological strains to cells. Here, we report microscale magnetically actuated, cell-laden hydrogels (μMACs) for investigating the strain-induced cell response in 3D cultures. μMACs provide high-throughput arrays of defined 3D cellular microenvironments that undergo reversible, relatively homogeneous deformation following non-contact actuation under external magnetic fields. We present a technique that not only enables the application of these high strains (60%) to cells but also enables simplified microscopy of these specimens under tension. We apply the technique to reveal cellular strain-threshold and saturation behaviors that are substantially different from their 2D analogs, including spreading, proliferation, and differentiation. μMACs offer insights for mechanotransduction and may also provide a view of how cells respond to the extracellular matrix in a 3D manner.