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Hydrogels with Reversible Mechanics to Probe Dynamic Cell Microenvironments
Author(s) -
Rosales Adrianne M.,
Vega Sebastián L.,
DelRio Frank W.,
Burdick Jason A.,
Anseth Kristi S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201705684
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , biophysics , mesenchymal stem cell , molecular mechanics , softening , chemistry , stiffening , cell , materials science , tissue engineering , cell encapsulation , cell mechanics , hyaluronic acid , nanotechnology , biomedical engineering , cytoskeleton , molecular dynamics , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , composite material , polymer chemistry , biochemistry , biology , computational chemistry , medicine
Abstract The relationship between ECM mechanics and cell behavior is dynamic, as cells remodel and respond to changes in their local environment. Most in vitro substrates are static and supraphysiologically stiff; thus, platforms with dynamic and reversible mechanical changes are needed. Herein, we developed hyaluronic acid‐based substrates capable of sequential photodegradation and photoinitiated crosslinking reactions to soften and then stiffen the hydrogels over a physiologically relevant range of moduli. Reversible mechanical signaling to adhered cells was demonstrated with human mesenchymal stem cells. In situ hydrogel softening (from ca. 14 to 3.5 kPa) led to a decrease in the cell area and nuclear localization of YAP/TAZ, and subsequent stiffening (from ca. 3.5 to 28 kPa) increased the cell area and nuclear localization of YAP/TAZ. Each photoreaction was cytocompatible and tunable, rendering this platform amenable to studies of dynamic mechanics on cell behavior across many cell types and contexts.