Ehrlich H Paul, Moyer Kurtis E
Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery , M. S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University Medical College, Hershey, PA, USA.
Methods Mol Biol. 2013;1037:45-58. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-505-7_3.
The fibroblast-populated collagen lattice (FPCL) was intended to act as the dermal component for "skin-equivalent" or artificial skin developed for skin grafting burn patients. The "skin-equivalent" was clinically unsuccessful as a skin graft, but today it is successfully used as a dressing for the management of chronic wounds. The FPCL has, however, become an instrument for investigating cell-connective tissue interactions within a three-dimensional matrix. Through the capacity of cell compaction of collagen fibrils, the FPCL undergoes a reduction in volume referred to as lattice contraction. Lattice contraction proceeds by cell-generated forces that reduce the water mass between collagen fibers, generating a closer relationship between collagen fibers. The compaction of collagen fibers is responsible for the reduction in the FPCL volume. Cell-generated forces through the linkage of collagen fibers with fibroblast's cytoskeletal actin-rich microfilament structures are responsible for the completion of the collagen matrix compaction. The type of culture dish used to cast FPCL as well as the cell number will dictate the mechanism for compacting collagen matrices. Fibroblasts, at moderate density, cast as an FPCL within a petri dish and released from the surface of the dish soon after casting compact collagen fibers through cell tractional forces. Fibroblasts at moderate density cast as an FPCL within a tissue culture dish and not released for 4 days upon release show rapid lattice contraction through a mechanism of cell contraction forces. Fibroblasts at high density cast in an FPCL within a petri dish, released from the surface of the dish soon after casting, compact a collagen lattice very rapidly through forces related to cell elongation. The advantage of the FPCL contraction model is the study of cells in the three-dimensional environment, which is similar to the environment from which these cells were isolated. In this chapter methods are described for manufacturing collagen lattices, which assess the three forces involved in compacting and/or organizing collagen fibrils into thicker collagen fibers. The clinical relevance of the FPCL contraction model is related to advancing our understanding of wound contraction and scar contracture.
成纤维细胞填充的胶原晶格（FPCL）旨在作为“皮肤替代物”或为烧伤患者皮肤移植而开发的人工皮肤的真皮成分。这种“皮肤替代物”作为皮肤移植在临床上并不成功，但如今它已成功用作治疗慢性伤口的敷料。然而，FPCL已成为研究三维基质中细胞与结缔组织相互作用的工具。通过细胞对胶原纤维的压实能力，FPCL会经历体积减小，即晶格收缩。晶格收缩是由细胞产生的力引起的，这些力减少了胶原纤维之间的水质量，使胶原纤维之间的关系更紧密。胶原纤维的压实导致FPCL体积减小。通过胶原纤维与成纤维细胞富含细胞骨架肌动蛋白的微丝结构的连接，细胞产生的力导致胶原基质压实的完成。用于浇铸FPCL的培养皿类型以及细胞数量将决定胶原基质压实的机制。中等密度的成纤维细胞在培养皿中浇铸成FPCL，并在浇铸后不久从培养皿表面释放，通过细胞牵引力压实胶原纤维。中等密度的成纤维细胞在组织培养皿中浇铸成FPCL，释放后4天不释放，通过细胞收缩力机制显示出快速的晶格收缩。高密度的成纤维细胞在培养皿中浇铸成FPCL，浇铸后不久从培养皿表面释放，通过与细胞伸长相关的力非常迅速地压实胶原晶格。FPCL收缩模型的优点是在三维环境中研究细胞，这与分离这些细胞的环境相似。本章描述了制造胶原晶格的方法，这些方法评估了将胶原纤维压实和/或组织成更粗胶原纤维所涉及的三种力。FPCL收缩模型的临床相关性与加深我们对伤口收缩和瘢痕挛缩的理解有关。
