Mechanically tuned 3 dimensional hydrogels support human mammary fibroblast growth and viability.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs or myofibroblasts) are activated fibroblasts which participate in breast tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance. As such, recent efforts have been directed toward understanding the factors responsible for activation of the phenotype. In this study, we have investigated how changes in the mechanical stiffness of a 3D hydrogel alter the behavior and myofibroblast-like properties of human mammary fibroblasts (HMFs).

Results

Here, we utilized microbial transglutaminase (mTG) to mechanically tune the stiffness of gelatin hydrogels and used rheology to show that increasing concentrations mTG resulted in hydrogels with greater elastic moduli (G'). Upon encapsulation of HMFs in 200 (compliant), 300 (m

SUBMITTER: Woods K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5732527 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature