Linear measurement of cell contraction in a capillary collagen gel system

• Published in: BioTechniques Vol. 48; no. 2; pp. 153 - 155
• Main Authors: Ilagan, Roger M, Guthrie, Kelly I, Quinlan, Sarah F, Rapoport, H. Scott, Jones, Sarah, Church, Ashley, Basu, Joydeep, Ludlow, John W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Natick, MA Future Science Ltd 01.02.2010; Eaton
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Calcium - metabolism; collagen; Collagen - metabolism; contraction; Cytological Techniques - methods; Diverse techniques; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Molecular and cellular biology; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle - cytology; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle - metabolism; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle - physiology; smooth muscle; Urinary Bladder - cytology; Urinary Bladder - metabolism; Urinary Bladder - physiology; Collagen; Contraction
• ISSN: 0736-6205; 1940-9818
• DOI: 10.2144/000113349

Three-dimensional collagen gel contraction is the standard assay utilized for functionally quantifying a variety of cell types, in particular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and myofibroblasts. Here, we have developed a method to effectively reduce the three-dimensional parameters of the standard collagen gel into a single, linear measurement. Cell/collagen suspensions that are cast into glass capillary tubes provide several advantages over the well plate format, such as eliminating the need for digital imaging equipment and software to quantify the amount of cellular contraction. In addition, capillary tube gels require significantly fewer cells and far less reagents than standard methods.