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Mechanophysical Cues in Extracellular Matrix Regulation of Cell Behavior
Author(s) -
Wang Tuntun,
Nanda Sitansu Sekhar,
Papaefthymiou Georgia C.,
Yi Dong Kee
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.201900686
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , tissue engineering , regenerative medicine , connective tissue , cell adhesion , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , matrix (chemical analysis) , function (biology) , nanotechnology , chemistry , materials science , stem cell , biomedical engineering , biology , engineering , biochemistry , genetics , chromatography
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a macromolecular network that can provide biochemical and structural support for cell adhesion and formation. It regulates cell behavior by influencing biochemical and physical cues. It is a dynamic structure whose components are modified, degraded, or deposited during connective tissue development, giving tissues strength and structural integrity. The physical properties of the natural ECM environment control the design of naturally or synthetically derived biomaterials to guide cell function in tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is an important field that explores physical cues of the ECM to produce new viable tissue for medical applications, such as in organ transplant and organ recovery. Understanding how the ECM exerts physical effects on cell behavior, when cells are seeded in synthetic ECM scaffolds, is of utmost importance. Herein we review recent findings in this area that report on cell behaviors in a variety of ECMs with different physical properties, i.e., topology, geometry, dimensionality, stiffness, and tension.