Fabrication of a Magnetically Driven Device for Evaluating Cellular Responses to Vibratory Stimulation

Cells possess sensors to detect external mechanical stimuli, and the process of converting these cues into biochemical reactions is known as mechanotransduction. Various vibration devices have been developed to evaluate cellular responses under vibratory stimulation. However, few devices can apply vibratory stimulation to a localized area while maintaining a low contamination risk during long-term culture. To address this challenge, we propose a magnetically driven device capable of applying vibratory stimulation to cells in vitro to evaluate cell proliferation and differentiation induction. The device integrates a polydimethylsiloxane membrane equipped with a neodymium magnet and a ring structure into a standard lidded culture dish. By utilizing the magnetic repulsive force from an electromagnet, the membrane vibrates via non-contact actuation. The device maintains a semi-sealed environment, minimizing the risk of contamination and making it highly suitable for long-term cultivation. Performance evaluations confirmed that membrane acceleration increased with the applied voltage. When vibratory stimulation with an acceleration of 0.1 G or higher was applied to cultured cells, the stimulated group exhibited a cell proliferation rate approximately 1.4 times greater than that of the non-stimulated group. Furthermore, culturing osteoblast-like cells in a differentiation-inducing medium resulted in widespread positive staining for alkaline phosphatase, confirming that the device environment supports osteogenic differentiation. Notably, no contamination or cell detachment occurred during a 72 h culture period. These results suggest that the proposed device is a potentially useful tool for evaluating cellular mechanotransduction under vibratory stimulation.