Dynamic and Reversible Tuning of Hydrogel Viscoelasticity by Transient Polymer Interactions for Controlling Cell Adhesion.

ABSTRACT: Cells are highly responsive to changes in their mechanical environment, influencing processes such as stem cell differentiation and tumor progression. To meet the growing demand for materials used for high throughput mechanotransduction studies, simple means of dynamically adjusting the environmental viscoelasticity of cell cultures are needed. Here, a novel method is presented to dynamically and reversibly control the viscoelasticity of naturally derived polymer hydrogels through interactions with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG). Interactions between PEG and hydrogel polymers, possibly involving hydrogen bonding, stiffen the hydrogel matrices. By dynamically changing the PEG concentration of the solution in which polymer hydrogels are incubated, their viscoelastic properties are adjusted, wh

SUBMITTER: Scott S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11938001 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature