The effect of gold nanorods on cell-mediated collagen remodeling.

ABSTRACT: Cardiac fibroblasts, the noncontractile cells of the heart, contribute to myocardial maintenance through the deposition, degradation, and organization of collagen. Adding polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods to three-dimensional constructs composed of collagen and cardiac fibroblasts reduced contraction and altered the expression of mRNAs encoding beta-actin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and collagen type I. These data show that nanomaterials can modulate cell-mediated matrix remodeling and suggest that the targeted delivery of nanomaterials can be applied for antifibrotic therapies.

SUBMITTER: Sisco PN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2651024 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature