LeValley Paige J, Kloxin April M
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
Material Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
ACS Macro Lett. 2019 Jan 15;8(1):7-16. doi: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00808. Epub 2018 Dec 22.
As knowledge about the dynamic nature of tissues within the human body has increased, the need for cell culture models that mimic the properties of these dynamic microenvironments has grown. Hydrogels are useful platforms for investigating cellular responses to microenvironment cues in disease and regeneration processes and recently have been designed to contain dynamic bonds to regulate the mechanical and biochemical properties of the matrix in three-dimensional cell culture applications. In this Viewpoint, we highlight recent advances in developing hydrogels with dynamic properties for modeling aspects of human tissues, providing control over the properties of the synthetic matrix on multiple length and time scales, and their application for understanding or directing cell response. We conclude by discussing how orthogonal chemistries can be utilized to design dynamic hydrogel platforms for controlling both the mechanical and biochemical environment, affording opportunities to investigate more complex questions associated with disease progression and tissue regeneration.
随着人们对人体组织动态特性的了解不断增加，对能够模拟这些动态微环境特性的细胞培养模型的需求也在增长。水凝胶是研究疾病和再生过程中细胞对微环境信号反应的有用平台，最近已被设计用于在三维细胞培养应用中包含动态键，以调节基质的机械和生化特性。在本观点文章中，我们重点介绍了开发具有动态特性的水凝胶在模拟人体组织方面的最新进展，这些水凝胶能够在多个长度和时间尺度上控制合成基质的特性，以及它们在理解或指导细胞反应方面的应用。我们在结尾讨论了如何利用正交化学设计动态水凝胶平台来控制机械和生化环境，从而为研究与疾病进展和组织再生相关的更复杂问题提供机会。
