**2. MSCs and Mechanotransduction**

MSCs can sense and assess the stiffness of extracellular substrates [59,60]. The ability of stem/progenitor cells to sense changes in the surrounding environment is known as mechanosensation. Stem/progenitor cells can also transduce mechanical stimuli in the surrounding environment into biochemical signals to induce cellular responses through the process of mechanotransduction [61]. Mechanotransduction is the mechanism underlying the increased osteogenic differentiation of MSCs on stiffer matrix [62]. The process of mechanotransduction in stem/progenitor cells is mediated through focal adhesion, associated integrins, and cellular cytoskeleton, in addition to mechanosensitive ion channels.
