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Dynamic and reversible tuning of hydrogel viscoelasticity by transient polymer interactions for controlling cell adhesion

Cells are highly responsive to changes in their mechanical environment, influencing processes such as stem cell differentiation and tumor progression. To meet the growing demand for materials used for high throughput mechanotransduction studies, simple means of dynamically adjusting the environmenta...

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Main Authors: Scott, Shane (Author) , Villiou, Maria (Author) , Colombo, Federico (Author) , De la Cruz Garcia, Maria de los Angeles (Author) , Tydecks, Leon (Author) , Tölke, Lotta (Author) , Siemsen, Katharina (Author) , Selhuber-Unkel, Christine (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: March 26, 2025
In: Advanced materials
Year: 2025, Volume: 37, Issue: 12, Pages: 1-13
ISSN:1521-4095
DOI:10.1002/adma.202408616
Online Access:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202408616
Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adma.202408616
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Author Notes:Shane Scott, Maria Villiou, Federico Colombo, Angeles De la Cruz-García, Leon Tydecks, Lotta Toelke, Katharina Siemsen, and Christine Selhuber-Unkel
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Summary:Cells are highly responsive to changes in their mechanical environment, influencing processes such as stem cell differentiation and tumor progression. To meet the growing demand for materials used for high throughput mechanotransduction studies, simple means of dynamically adjusting the environmental viscoelasticity of cell cultures are needed. Here, a novel method is presented to dynamically and reversibly control the viscoelasticity of naturally derived polymer hydrogels through interactions with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG). Interactions between PEG and hydrogel polymers, possibly involving hydrogen bonding, stiffen the hydrogel matrices. By dynamically changing the PEG concentration of the solution in which polymer hydrogels are incubated, their viscoelastic properties are adjusted, which in turn affects cell adhesion and cytoskeletal organization. Importantly, this effects is reversible, providing a cost-effective and simple strategy for dynamically adjusting the viscoelasticity of polymer hydrogels. This method holds promise for applications in mechanobiology, biomedicine, and the life sciences.
Item Description:Veröffentlicht: 11. Februar 2025
Gesehen am 28.07.2025
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1521-4095
DOI:10.1002/adma.202408616

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