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Mechanically and Chemically Tunable Cell Culture System for Studying the Myofibroblast Phenotype
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Mechanically and Chemically Tunable Cell Culture System for Studying the Myofibroblast Phenotype

Michele K. Saums, Weifeng Wang, Biao Han, Lakshmi Madhavan, Lin Han, Daeyeon Lee and Rebecca G. Wells
Langmuir, v 30(19), pp 5481-5487
20 May 2014
PMID: 24787894
url
https://doi.org/10.1021/la4047758View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access (Publisher-Specific) Open

Abstract

Chemistry Chemistry, Multidisciplinary Chemistry, Physical Materials Science Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Physical Sciences Science & Technology Technology
Cell culture systems for studying the combined effects of matrix proteins and mechanical forces on the behavior of soft tissue cells have not been well developed. Here, we describe a new biomimetic cell culture system that allows for the study of mixtures of matrix proteins while controlling mechanical stiffness in a range that is physiological for soft tissues. This system consists of layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled films of native matrix proteins atop mechanically tunable soft supports. We used hepatic stellate cells, which differentiate to myofibroblasts in liver fibrosis, for proof-of-concept studies. By culturing cells on collagen and lumican LbL-modified hydrogels, we demonstrate that this system is noncytotoxic and offers a valid control substrate, that the hydrogel determines the overall system mechanics, and that the addition of lumican to collagen influences the stellate cell phenotype. LbL-modified hydrogels offer the potential to study the influence of complex environmental factors on soft-tissue cells in culture.

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31 citations in Scopus

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chemistry, Physical
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
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