Patterned photocrosslinking to establish stiffness anisotropies in fibrous 3D hydrogels.

ABSTRACT: Cells are known to constantly interact with their local extracellular matrix (ECM) and respond to a variety of biochemical and mechanical cues received from the ECM. Nonetheless, comprehensive understanding of cell-ECM interactions has been elusive. Many studies rely on analysis of cell behavior on 2D substrates, which do not reflect a natural cell environment. Further, lack of dynamic control over local stiffness anisotropies and fiber alignment hinders progress in studies in naturally derived fibrous 3D cultures. Here, we present a cell-safe method of patterned photocrosslinking, which can aid in studying biological hypotheses related to mechanotransduction in 3D hydrogels. As previously described by our group, ruthenium-catalyzed photocrosslinking (RCP) of selected ECM regions promotes

SUBMITTER: Jagiello A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9552552 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature