Cyclic mechanical loading of photopolymerized methacrylated hydrogels for probing interdependent effects of strain, stiffness, and substrate composition in pulmonary fibrogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), stiffening of the lung tissue, and impaired gas exchange. Our current understanding of fibrogenesis generally focuses on the individual roles of mechanical and biochemical stimuli in driving disease progression. However, many mechano-chemical pathways are interrelated, so dissecting the interactive effects of mechanical and biochemical signals is an important knowledge gap. To address this gap, we investigated lung fibroblast behavior on static and cyclically strained photopolymerizable hydrogels consisting of different ratios of methacrylated gelatin, methacrylated hyaluronan, and non-methacrylated gelatin to create substrates with tunable stiffness and chemistry, representative of both healthy and

SUBMITTER: Wang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11836278 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature