Fiber alignment drives changes in architectural and mechanical features in collagen matrices

Aligned collagen architecture is a characteristic feature of the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) and has been shown to facilitate cancer metastasis using 3D in vitro models. Additional features of the ECM, such as pore size and stiffness, have also been shown to influence cellular behavior and are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2019-05, Vol.14 (5), p.e0216537-e0216537
Main Authors: Taufalele, Paul V, VanderBurgh, Jacob A, Muñoz, Adam, Zanotelli, Matthew R, Reinhart-King, Cynthia A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Alignment
Analysis
Biological products
Biology and Life Sciences
Biomaterials
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical materials
Cancer
Cancer metastasis
Cancer research
Cell adhesion & migration
Cell Movement
Collagen
Collagens
Disease Progression
Engineering
Extracellular matrix
Extracellular Matrix - metabolism
Extracellular Matrix - pathology
Fibrillar Collagens - metabolism
Humans
Mechanical properties
Mechanics
Metastases
Microscopy
Microscopy, Atomic Force
Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Neoplasms - metabolism
Physical Sciences
Physiological aspects
Polymerization
Pore size
Porosity
Production methods
Research and Analysis Methods
Stiffness
Temperature
Three dimensional models
Tumors
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Summary:Aligned collagen architecture is a characteristic feature of the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) and has been shown to facilitate cancer metastasis using 3D in vitro models. Additional features of the ECM, such as pore size and stiffness, have also been shown to influence cellular behavior and are implicated in cancer progression. While there are several methods to produce aligned matrices to study the effect on cell behavior in vitro, it is unclear how the alignment itself may alter these other important features of the matrix. In this study, we have generated aligned collagen matrices and characterized their pore sizes and mechanical properties at the micro- and macro-scale. Our results indicate that collagen alignment can alter pore-size of matrices depending on the polymerization temperature of the collagen. Furthermore, alignment does not affect the macro-scale stiffness but alters the micro-scale stiffness in a temperature independent manner. Overall, these results describe the manifestation of confounding variables that arise due to alignment and the importance of fully characterizing biomaterials at both micro- and macro-scales.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0216537