Cha Junseo, Thibeault Susan L
Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025 Jan 27;13:1501341. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1501341. eCollection 2025.
Mechanotransduction is a crucial property in all organisms, modulating cellular behaviors in response to external mechanical stimuli. Given the high mobility of vocal folds, it is hypothesized that mechanotransduction significantly contributes to their tissue homeostasis. Recent studies have identified mechanosensitive proteins in vocal fold epithelia, supporting this hypothesis. Voice therapy, which, involves the mobilization of vocal folds, aims to rehabilitate vocal function and restore homeostasis. However, establishing a direct causal link between specific mechanical stimuli and therapeutic benefits is challenging due to the variability in voice therapy techniques. This challenge is further compounded when investigating biological benefits in humans. Vocal fold tissue cannot be biopsied without significant impairment of the vibratory characteristics of the vocal folds. Conversely, studies using vocal fold mimetic bioreactors have demonstrated that mechanical stimulation of vocal fold fibroblasts can lead to highly heterogeneous responses, depending on the nature and parameters of the induced vibration. These responses can either aid or impede vocal fold vibration at the physiological level. Future research is needed to determine the specific mechanical parameters that are biologically beneficial for vocal fold function.
机械转导是所有生物体中的一项关键特性,它能调节细胞行为以响应外部机械刺激。鉴于声带的高活动性,据推测机械转导对其组织稳态有显著贡献。最近的研究已在声带上皮中鉴定出机械敏感蛋白,支持了这一假设。语音治疗涉及声带的活动,旨在恢复嗓音功能并重建稳态。然而,由于语音治疗技术的变异性,在特定机械刺激与治疗效果之间建立直接的因果联系具有挑战性。在研究对人类的生物学益处时,这一挑战更加复杂。在不严重损害声带振动特性的情况下,无法对声带组织进行活检。相反,使用声带模拟生物反应器的研究表明,对声带成纤维细胞的机械刺激会导致高度异质的反应,这取决于诱导振动的性质和参数。这些反应在生理水平上既可能有助于也可能阻碍声带振动。未来的研究需要确定对声带功能具有生物学益处的具体机械参数。