Robinson Jacob, Russell Teal, Xu Zhigang, Yun Yeoheung
FIT BEST Laboratory, Department of Chemical, Biological, and Bio Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Appl Sci (Basel). 2022 Mar;12(5). doi: 10.3390/app12052401. Epub 2022 Feb 25.
Mechanical rigidity of a matrix, to which cells adhere, plays a significant role in regulating phenotypic cellular behaviors such as spreading and junction formation because vascular cells sense and respond to changes in their mechanical environment. Controlling mechanical properties of extracellular matrix by using a crosslinker is important for cell and tissue mechanobiology. In this paper, we explored genipin, a natural plant extract, to crosslink collagen-I in order to enhance mechanical properties with low cytotoxicity. We characterized the effects of genipin concentration on the mechanical properties, color change, degradation, structure, cell viability, and endothelial function such as transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). Through the analysis of both material properties and endothelial response, it was found that genipin-based glycation caused an increase in viscoelastic moduli in collagen hydrogels, as well as increased fiber density in their structural morphology. Endothelial cells were found to form better barriers, express higher levels of tight junction proteins, and exhibit better adhesion on stiffer matrices.
细胞所附着的基质的机械刚性在调节细胞表型行为（如铺展和连接形成）中起着重要作用，因为血管细胞能够感知并响应其机械环境的变化。通过使用交联剂来控制细胞外基质的机械性能对于细胞和组织力学生物学而言至关重要。在本文中，我们探索了天然植物提取物京尼平，用以交联I型胶原蛋白，从而在低细胞毒性的情况下增强机械性能。我们表征了京尼平浓度对机械性能、颜色变化、降解、结构、细胞活力以及诸如跨内皮电阻（TEER）等内皮功能的影响。通过对材料性能和内皮反应的分析发现，基于京尼平的糖基化作用导致胶原水凝胶的粘弹性模量增加，以及其结构形态中的纤维密度增加。研究发现，内皮细胞在更硬的基质上能形成更好的屏障，表达更高水平的紧密连接蛋白，并表现出更好的黏附性。
