Collagen gel contraction assays: From modelling wound healing to quantifying cellular interactions with three-dimensional extracellular matrices

• Published in: European journal of cell biology Vol. 101; no. 3; p. 151253
• Main Authors: Zhang, Qing, Wang, Pudi, Fang, Xu, Lin, Feng, Fang, Jing, Xiong, Chunyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.06.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cell-extracellular matrix interaction; Cellular contractility; Collagen gel contraction assay; Extracellular matrix remodelling; Fibrotic model; Wound healing model; Wound healing model; Fibrotic model; Cellular contractility; Extracellular matrix remodelling; Cell-extracellular matrix interaction; Collagen gel contraction assay
• ISSN: 0171-9335; 1618-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2022.151253

Cells respond to and actively remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM). The dynamic and bidirectional interaction between cells and ECM, especially their mechanical interactions, has been found to play an essential role in triggering a series of complex biochemical and biomechanical signal pathways and in regulating cellular functions and behaviours. The collagen gel contraction assay (CGCA) is a widely used method to investigate cell–ECM interactions in 3D environments and provides a mechanically associated readout reflecting 3D cellular contractility. In this review, we summarize various versions of CGCA, with an emphasis on recent high-throughput and low-consumption CGCA techniques. More importantly, we focus on the technique of force monitoring during the contraction of collagen gel, which provides a quantitative characterization of the overall forces generated by all the resident cells in the collagen hydrogel. Accordingly, we present recent biological applications of the CGCA, which have expanded from the initial wound healing model to other studies concerning cell–ECM interactions, including fibrosis, cancer, tissue repair and the preparation of biomimetic microtissues. •Collagen gel contraction assay reflects the dynamical cell-ECM interactions and the 3D cellular contractility.•Various techniques have been proposed to improve the throughput of collagen gel contraction assay.•Monitoring the contractile force of collagen gel provides a readout for the overall force generated by resident cells.•Various mathematical models have been proposed to simulate the collagen hydrogel contraction.•Collagen gel contraction assay has been widely used in various biological researches involving cell-ECM interactions.