Rapid Fabrication of Living Tissue Models by Collagen Plastic Compression: Understanding Three-Dimensional Cell Matrix Repair In Vitro

• Published in: Advances in wound care (New Rochelle, N.Y.) Vol. 2; no. 4; p. 176
• Main Authors: Cheema, Umber, Brown, Robert A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2013
• ISSN: 2162-1918
• DOI: 10.1089/wound.2012.0392

To produce biomimetic collagen scaffolds for tissue modeling and as tissue-engineered implants. Control of collagen fibril material parameters in collagen hydrogel scaffolds by using plastic compression (PC), resulting in direct control of cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell-cell interaction. We were able to control the density of collagen in such scaffolds from between 0.2% and 30%, and controllably layer the fibrils in the Z-plane. Cell migration was observed in gels where a gradient of collagen density was present. In these gels, cells preferentially migrated toward the collagen-dense areas. Cell proliferation rates were measurably higher in dense collagen gels. The use of PC to control material properties of collagen hydrogels results in collagen scaffolds that are biomimetic. These collagen gels reproduce the relevant matrix-mechanical environment in which behavior is more representative of that found . The material properties of native collagen type I gels can be engineered to match those found in tissues to elicit more biomimetic cell behavior.