Reversible Host-Guest Crosslinks in Supramolecular Hydrogels for On-Demand Mechanical Stimulation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

ABSTRACT: Stem cells are regulated not only by biochemical signals but also by biophysical properties of extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is constantly monitored and remodeled because the fate of stem cells can be misdirected when the mechanical interaction between cells and ECM is imbalanced. A well-defined ECM model for bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) based on supramolecular hydrogels containing reversible host-guest crosslinks is fabricated. The stiffness (Young's modulus E) of the hydrogels can be switched reversibly by altering the concentration of non-cytotoxic, free guest molecules dissolved in the culture medium. Fine-adjustment of substrate stiffness enables the authors to determine the critical stiffness level E* at which hMSCs turn the mechano-sensory machinery

SUBMITTER: Linke P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11481031 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature