Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, United States.
Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States.
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2023 Jul 1;325(1):C314-C323. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00106.2023. Epub 2023 Jun 19.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) composition is important in a host of pathophysiological processes such as angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, and during each of these processes ECM composition has been reported to change over time. However, the impact ECM composition has on the ability of endothelium to respond mechanically is currently unknown. Therefore, in this study, we seeded human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) onto soft hydrogels coated with an ECM concentration of 0.1 mg/mL at the following collagen I (Col-I) and fibronectin (FN) ratios: 100% Col-I, 75% Col-I-25% FN, 50% Col-I-50% FN, 25% Col-I-75% FN, and 100% FN. We subsequently measured tractions, intercellular stresses, strain energy, cell morphology, and cell velocity. Our results revealed that tractions and strain energy are maximal at 50% Col-I-50% FN and minimal at 100% Col-I and 100% FN. Intercellular stress response was maximal on 50% Col-I-50% FN and minimal on 25% Col-I-75% FN. Cell area and cell circularity displayed a divergent relationship for different Col-I and FN ratios. We believe that these results will be of great importance to the cardiovascular field, biomedical field, and cell mechanics. The endothelium constitutes the innermost layer of all blood vessels and plays an important role in vascular physiology and pathology. During certain vascular diseases, the extracellular matrix has been suggested to transition from a collagen-rich matrix to a fibronectin-rich matrix. In this study, we demonstrate the impact various collagen and fibronectin ratios have on endothelial biomechanical and morphological response.
细胞外基质（ECM）的组成在许多病理生理过程中很重要，如血管生成、动脉粥样硬化和糖尿病，在这些过程中，ECM 的组成随时间而变化。然而，目前尚不清楚 ECM 组成对内皮细胞机械响应能力的影响。因此，在这项研究中，我们将人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）接种到涂有 0.1mg/ml ECM 浓度的软水凝胶上，胶原 I（Col-I）和纤维连接蛋白（FN）的比例如下：100% Col-I、75% Col-I-25% FN、50% Col-I-50% FN、25% Col-I-75% FN 和 100% FN。随后，我们测量了牵引力、细胞间应力、应变能、细胞形态和细胞速度。我们的结果表明，在 50% Col-I-50% FN 时牵引力和应变能最大，在 100% Col-I 和 100% FN 时最小。在 50% Col-I-50% FN 时细胞间应力响应最大，在 25% Col-I-75% FN 时最小。细胞面积和细胞圆度对于不同的 Col-I 和 FN 比例显示出相反的关系。我们相信这些结果对心血管领域、生物医学领域和细胞力学领域具有重要意义。内皮细胞构成所有血管的最内层，在血管生理学和病理学中发挥重要作用。在某些血管疾病中，细胞外基质已被认为从富含胶原的基质转变为富含纤维连接蛋白的基质。在这项研究中，我们展示了不同胶原和纤维连接蛋白比例对内皮细胞生物力学和形态响应的影响。
