Department of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Box 359625, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 Mar;65(3):209-18. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glp202. Epub 2010 Jan 15.
Three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen gels are increasingly utilized to simulate extracellular matrix (ECM) in vivo, but little is known about the effects of age on this model. Collagen was extracted from young (4-6 months) and aged (20-24 months) mice tails and compared. The collagens appeared similar by electrophoresis. However, relative to young, aged collagen formed fibrils slower and generated 3D gels with smaller diameter, less dense fibrils (75 vs 34 nm diameter and 8 vs 3.5% area, for young and aged respectively, p < 0.02). Correspondingly, aged collagen gels were more malleable and contractible (5% vs 19% compression, p < .02, and 73% vs 15.5% area, p < .01, for young and aged, respectively). Fibroblasts cultured within young and aged collagen gels had differential expression of a limited number of genes and proteins corresponding to specific integrins and matrix components. In summary, collagen extracted from young and aged mice is an effective means to examine the influence of aging on functional properties of ECM that are relevant in vivo.
三维（3D）I 型胶原蛋白凝胶越来越多地被用于模拟体内细胞外基质（ECM），但对于年龄对该模型的影响知之甚少。从小鼠（4-6 个月）和老年（20-24 个月）尾巴中提取胶原蛋白并进行比较。电泳显示胶原蛋白相似。然而，与年轻相比，老年胶原蛋白形成纤维的速度较慢，形成的 3D 凝胶直径较小，纤维密度较低（年轻和老年分别为 75 纳米和 34 纳米，面积分别为 8%和 3.5%，p < 0.02）。相应地，老年胶原蛋白凝胶更具延展性和收缩性（年轻和老年分别为 5%和 19%的压缩率，p < 0.02，73%和 15.5%的面积，p < 0.01）。在年轻和老年胶原蛋白凝胶中培养的成纤维细胞，其特定整合素和基质成分的少数基因和蛋白表达存在差异。总之，从小鼠中提取的年轻和老年胶原蛋白是一种有效的方法，可以研究衰老对体内相关 ECM 功能特性的影响。
