Mechanical stretch promotes antioxidant responses and cardiomyogenic differentiation in P19 cells

Accumulating evidence has suggested that mechanical stimuli play a crucial role in regulating the lineage-specific differentiation of stem cells through fine-tuning redox balance. We aimed to investigate the effects of cyclic tensile strain (CTS) on the expression of antioxidant enzymes and cardiac-specific genes in P19 cells, a widely characterized tool for cardiac differentiation research. A stretching device was applied to generate different magnitude and duration of cyclic strains on P19 cells. The messenger RNA and protein levels of targeted genes were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays, respectively. Proper magnitude and duration of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) stimulation substantially enhanced the expression of both antioxidant enzymes and cardiac-specific genes in P19 cells. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) played an essential role in the CTS-induced cardiomyogenic differentiation of P19, as evidenced by changes in the expression of antioxidant enzymes and cardiac-specific genes. Mechanical loading promoted the cardiomyogenic differentiation of P19 cells. SIRT1 was involved in CST-mediated P19 differentiation, implying that SIRT1 might serve as an important target for developing methods to promote cardiomyogenic differentiation of stem cells.