Bioinspired Collagen/κ-Carrageenan 3D Matrix for <i>In Vitro</i> Modeling of Vascular Calcification.

ABSTRACT: Pathological calcification of soft tissue, particularly in vascular structures, is a hallmark of several cardiovascular diseases and significantly contributes to vascular stiffening and dysfunction. Despite sharing similarities with physiological ossification, the mechanisms driving the transdifferentiation of mouse vascular smooth muscle cells (MOVAS) into osteochondroblast-like phenotypes remain poorly understood. This transdifferentiation plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of pathological calcification. In this study, we developed a bioinspired 3D scaffold, composed of type I collagen (Col) and κ-carrageenan (κ-Carr), designed to mimic key aspects of the vascular extracellular matrix (ECM). This novel scaffold provides a physiologically relevant platform to study so

SUBMITTER: Nogueira LFB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12344643 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature