Physical, Biomechanical, and Optical Characterization of Collagen and Elastin Blend Hydrogels

Overview

Journal Ann Biomed Eng

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2020 Sep 15

PMID 32929559

Citations 11

Authors

Nelda Vazquez-Portalatin

Alba Alfonso-Garcia

Julie C Liu

Laura Marcu

Alyssa Panitch

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Collagen and elastin proteins are major components of the extracellular matrix of many organs. The presence of collagen and elastin networks, and their associated properties, in different tissues have led scientists to study collagen and elastin composites for use in tissue engineering. In this study, we characterized physical, biochemical, and optical properties of gels composed of collagen and elastin blends. We demonstrated that the addition of varying amounts of elastin to the constructs alters collagen fibrillogenesis, D-banding pattern length, and storage modulus. However, the addition of elastin does not affect collagen fibril diameter. We also evaluated the autofluorescence properties of the different collagen and elastin blends with fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm). Autofluorescence emission showed a red shift with the addition of elastin to the hydrogels. The fluorescence lifetime values of the gels increased with the addition of elastin and were strongly correlated with the storage moduli measurements. These results suggest that FLIm can be used to monitor the gels' mechanical properties nondestructively. These collagen and elastin constructs, along with the FLIm capabilities, can be used to develop and study collagen and elastin composites for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Citing Articles

Characterizing Metabolic Shifts in Septic Murine Kidney Tissue Using 2P-FLIM for Early Sepsis Detection.

Greiner S, Ebrahimi M, Rodewald M, Urbanek A, Meyer-Zedler T, Schmitt M Bioengineering (Basel). 2025; 12(2).

PMID: 40001689 PMC: 11851710. DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering12020170.

State-of-the-Art in Skin Fluorescent Photography for Cosmetic and Skincare Research: From Molecular Spectra to AI Image Analysis.

Chekanov K, Danko D, Tlyachev T, Kiselev K, Hagens R, Georgievskaya A Life (Basel). 2024; 14(10).

PMID: 39459571 PMC: 11509763. DOI: 10.3390/life14101271.

Establishment of an Three-Dimensional Vascularized Micro-Tumor Model and Screening of Chemotherapeutic Drugs.

Ye Q, Wang J, Wang B, Zhao M, Wu Z, Liu X Technol Cancer Res Treat. 2024; 23:15330338241286755.

PMID: 39311637 PMC: 11425739. DOI: 10.1177/15330338241286755.

Time-sequential fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in elastin-variable 3D hydrogel environments by collagen networks.

Do N, Lee S, Lee Y, Shin C, Kim D, Lee T Biomater Res. 2023; 27(1):103.

PMID: 37848974 PMC: 10583321. DOI: 10.1186/s40824-023-00439-x.

Development of Scaffolds from Bio-Based Natural Materials for Tissue Regeneration Applications: A Review.

Krishani M, Shin W, Suhaimi H, Sambudi N Gels. 2023; 9(2).

PMID: 36826270 PMC: 9957409. DOI: 10.3390/gels9020100.

References

Douglas T, Heinemann S, Mietrach C, Hempel U, Bierbaum S, Scharnweber D . Interactions of collagen types I and II with chondroitin sulfates A-C and their effect on osteoblast adhesion. Biomacromolecules. 2007; 8(4):1085-92. DOI: 10.1021/bm0609644. View

Paderi J, Sistiabudi R, Ivanisevic A, Panitch A . Collagen-binding peptidoglycans: a biomimetic approach to modulate collagen fibrillogenesis for tissue engineering applications. Tissue Eng Part A. 2009; 15(10):2991-9. PMC: 2792093. DOI: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2009.0014. View

Berglund J, Nerem R, Sambanis A . Incorporation of intact elastin scaffolds in tissue-engineered collagen-based vascular grafts. Tissue Eng. 2004; 10(9-10):1526-35. DOI: 10.1089/ten.2004.10.1526. View

Bax D, Smalley H, Farndale R, Best S, Cameron R . Cellular response to collagen-elastin composite materials. Acta Biomater. 2018; 86:158-170. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2018.12.033. View

Alfonso-Garcia A, Haudenschild A, Marcu L . Label-free assessment of carotid artery biochemical composition using fiber-based fluorescence lifetime imaging. Biomed Opt Express. 2019; 9(9):4064-4076. PMC: 6157793. DOI: 10.1364/BOE.9.004064. View

Jastrzebska M, Tarnawska D, Wrzalik R, Chrobak A, Grelowski M, Wylegala E . New insight into the shortening of the collagen fibril D-period in human cornea. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 2016; 35(3):551-563. DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2016.1153520. View

Noh I, Kim N, Tran H, Lee J, Lee C . 3D printable hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel for its potential application as a bioink in tissue engineering. Biomater Res. 2019; 23:3. PMC: 6364434. DOI: 10.1186/s40824-018-0152-8. View

Hunziker E . Articular cartilage repair: basic science and clinical progress. A review of the current status and prospects. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2002; 10(6):432-63. DOI: 10.1053/joca.2002.0801. View

Daamen W, Hafmans T, Veerkamp J, van Kuppevelt T . Comparison of five procedures for the purification of insoluble elastin. Biomaterials. 2001; 22(14):1997-2005. DOI: 10.1016/s0142-9612(00)00383-5. View

10.

Vining K, Mooney D . Mechanical forces direct stem cell behaviour in development and regeneration. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2017; 18(12):728-742. PMC: 5803560. DOI: 10.1038/nrm.2017.108. View

11.

Irawan V, Sung T, Higuchi A, Ikoma T . Collagen Scaffolds in Cartilage Tissue Engineering and Relevant Approaches for Future Development. Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2019; 15(6):673-697. PMC: 6250655. DOI: 10.1007/s13770-018-0135-9. View

12.

Vats K, Benoit D . Dynamic manipulation of hydrogels to control cell behavior: a review. Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2013; 19(6):455-69. PMC: 3826471. DOI: 10.1089/ten.TEB.2012.0716. View

13.

Vazquez-Portalati N N, Kilmer C, Panitch A, Liu J . Characterization of Collagen Type I and II Blended Hydrogels for Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering. Biomacromolecules. 2016; 17(10):3145-3152. PMC: 5480608. DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.6b00684. View

14.

Li C, Shklover J, Parvizi M, Sherlock B, Garcia A, Haudenschild A . Label-Free Assessment of Collagenase Digestion on Bovine Pericardium Properties by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging. Ann Biomed Eng. 2018; 46(11):1870-1881. PMC: 7700017. DOI: 10.1007/s10439-018-2087-6. View

15.

Meek K, Chapman J, Hardcastle R . The staining pattern of collagen fibrils. Improved correlation with sequence data. J Biol Chem. 1979; 254(21):10710-4. View

16.

Asgari M, Latifi N, Heris H, Vali H, Mongeau L . In vitro fibrillogenesis of tropocollagen type III in collagen type I affects its relative fibrillar topology and mechanics. Sci Rep. 2017; 7(1):1392. PMC: 5431193. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01476-y. View

17.

Huang B, Hu J, Athanasiou K . Cell-based tissue engineering strategies used in the clinical repair of articular cartilage. Biomaterials. 2016; 98:1-22. PMC: 4899115. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.04.018. View

18.

Yankelevich D, Ma D, Liu J, Sun Y, Sun Y, Bec J . Design and evaluation of a device for fast multispectral time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging. Rev Sci Instrum. 2014; 85(3):034303. PMC: 3971822. DOI: 10.1063/1.4869037. View

19.

Dunphy S, Bratt J, Akram K, Forsyth N, El Haj A . Hydrogels for lung tissue engineering: Biomechanical properties of thin collagen-elastin constructs. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2014; 38:251-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2014.04.005. View

20.

Gautieri A, Vesentini S, Redaelli A, Buehler M . Hierarchical structure and nanomechanics of collagen microfibrils from the atomistic scale up. Nano Lett. 2011; 11(2):757-66. DOI: 10.1021/nl103943u. View