Microablation of collagen-based substrates for soft tissue engineering.
Noting the abundance and importance of collagen as a biomaterial, we have developed a facile method for the production of a dense fibrillar extracellular matrix mimicking collagen-elastin hybrids with tunable mechanical properties. Through the use of excimer-laser technology, we have optimized conditions for the ablation of collagen lamellae without denaturation of protein, maintenance of fibrillar ultrastructure and preservation of native D-periodicity. Strengths of collagen-elastin hybrids ranged from 0.6 to 13 MPa, elongation at break from 9 to 70% and stiffness from 2.9 to 94 MPa, allowing for the design of a wide variety of tissue specific scaffolds. Further, large (centimeter scale) lamellae can be fabricated and embedded with recombinant elastin to generate collagen-elastin hybrids. Exposed collagen in hybrids act as cell adhesive sites for rat mesenchymal stem cells that conform to ablate waveforms. The ability to modulate these features allows for the generation of a class of biopolymers that can architecturally and physiologically replicate native tissue.
Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering of Harvard University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
Vivek A
VA
Kumar
Adam W
AW
Martinez
Jeffrey M
JM
Caves
Nisarga
N
Naik
Carolyn A
CA
Haller
Elliot L
EL
Chaikof
D000818:Animals; D016880:Anisotropy; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002470:Cell Survival; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D004549:Elastin / Q000737:chemistry; D007834:Lasers; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013696:Temperature; D013710:Tendons / Q000737:chemistry; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001704:Biopolymers; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D003094:Collagen; D004549:Elastin