Gradual Stress-Relaxation of Hydrogel Regulates Cell Spreading.

ABSTRACT: There is growing evidence that the mechanical properties of extracellular matrices (ECMs), including elasticity and stress-relaxation, greatly influence the function and form of the residing cells. However, the effects of elasticity and stress-relaxation are often correlated, making the study of the effect of stress-relaxation on cellular behaviors difficult. Here, we designed a hybrid network hydrogel with a controllable stress-relaxation gradient and a constant elasticity. The hydrogel is crosslinked by covalent bonds and dynamic peptide-metal ion coordination interactions. The stress-relaxation gradient is controlled by spatially controlling the coordination and covalent crosslinker ratios. The different parts of the hydrogel exhibit distinct stress-relaxation amplitudes but the have sa

SUBMITTER: Yu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9100461 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature