Different cells require different stiffness
All cells in the human body are exposed to mechanical forces which regulate cell function and tissue development and each cell type is is specifically tuned to the mechanical properties of the tissue it resides in. Neuronal cells, for example, require a very soft matrix similar to brain tissue in order to thrive, while cartilage or bone cells require much stiffer environments.
The matrix properties of human tissues can also change with disease and in turn facilitate its progression. For example, normal mammary epithelial cell growth, survival, differentiation and morphogenesis are well-supported by interaction with a soft matrix similar to normal breast tissue stiffness.
Following transformation during breast cancer, however, the tissue becomes progressively stiffer and tumour cells become significantly more contractile and hyper-responsive to matrix mechanical cues, ultimately driving epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis.
Evidently, the importance of matrix elasticity is increasingly being studied and ECM stiffness has been shown to regulate stem cell differentiation, cell migration, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), the induction of malignant cancer phenotypes, cell spreading and adhesion, calcium signalling, and many more pathophysiological and physiological cellular events.
Cells are tuned to the material properties of their native matrix.
The LunaCrosslinker™ enables cell-friendly photocrosslinking.
A chemical modification allows the LunaGel™ ECM to be crosslinked by exposure to blue light in the LunaCrosslinker™, creating cell culture models that closely mimic natural microenvironments. The LunaGel™ hydrogel system is transparent, permeable, and compatible with standard imaging systems.
ECM stiffness can be adjusted to by varying the light exposure duration in the Luna Crosslinker™ to replicate physiological conditions of different healthy and diseased tissues.
LunaGel™ – Gelatin ECMs are available in standard and high stiffness formulations. Standard gel stiffness typically ranges from 0.1 – 6 kPa, while high stiffness kits can reach up to 25 kPa. Stiffness increases with exposure duration.
The mechanical properties of LunaGel™ Photocrosslinkable Extracellular Matrices are controlled by exposure to visible light in the LunaCrosslinker™.
MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells cultured in LunaGel Photocrosslinkable Gelatin at different Matrix Stiffness.
The images show the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer spheroids over a period of 14 days at 0.5, 2, and 4 kPa matrix stiffness (a).
Quantification of spheroid size reveals that proliferation and spheroid growth was inversely proportional to matrix stiffness (b).
Primary Human Bone-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) cultured for 5 days in LunaGel Photocrosslinkable Gelatin (High Stiffness) at different Matrix Stiffness
The images demonstrate the matrix stiffness is a potent regulator of cellular morphology. Primary human MSCs elongate and spread at low matrix stiffness, but remain rounded at high stiffness.
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