Modulation of 3D Fibrin Matrix Stiffness by Intrinsic Fibrinogen–Thrombin Compositions and by Extrinsic Cellular Activity
- 1 July 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc in Tissue Engineering, Part A
- Vol. 15 (7), 1865-1876
- https://doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0319
Abstract
Fibrin is a substance formed through catalytic conversion of coagulation constituents: fibrinogen and thrombin. The kinetics of the two constituents determines the structural properties of the fibrin architecture. We have shown previously that changing the fibrinogen and thrombin concentrations in the final three-dimensional (3D) fibrin matrix influenced cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we further examined the effect of changing fibrinogen and thrombin concentrations in the absence or presence of fibroblasts on the structural modulus or stiffness of 3D fibrin matrices. We have prepared fibroblast-free and fibroblast-embedded 3D fibrin matrices of different fibrinogen and thrombin formulations, and tested the stiffness of these constructs using standard mechanical testing assays. Results showed that there was a corresponding increase in stiffness with increasing thrombin and fibrinogen concentrations; the increase was more notable with fibrinogen and to a lesser degree with thrombin. The effect of fibroblasts on the stiffness of the fibrin construct was also examined. We have observed a small increase in the stiffness of the fibroblast-incorporated fibrin construct as they proliferated and exhibited spreading morphology. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive report detailing the relationship between fibrinogen and thrombin concentrations, cell proliferation, and stiffness in 3D fibrin matrices. The data obtained may lead to optimally design suitable bioscaffolds where we can control both cell proliferation and structural integrity for a variety of tissue engineering applications.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- A fibrinogen-based precision microporous scaffold for tissue engineeringBiomaterials, 2007
- Fabrication and physical and biological properties of fibrin gel derived from human plasmaBiomedical Materials, 2007
- Thrombin generation and fibrin clot structureBlood Reviews, 2007
- Influence of thrombin concentration on the mechanical and morphological properties of cell-seeded fibrin hydrogelsActa Biomaterialia, 2007
- A New Evaluation Concept and its Measurement: “Male Sexual Anticipating Cognitions”The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2006
- The Effect of Thrombin Concentration on Fibrin Clot Structure Imaged by Multiphoton Microscopy and Quantified by Fractal AnalysisMicroscopy and Microanalysis, 2005
- FIBRIN GLUE AS A DELIVERY VEHICLE FOR AUTOLOGOUS UROTHELIAL CELL TRANSPLANTATION ONTO A PREFABRICATED POUCHJournal of Urology, 1998
- Fibrin Sealant Adhesive Systems: A Review of Their Chemistry, Material Properties and Clinical ApplicationsJournal of Biomaterials Applications, 1993
- The relation between load and penetration in the axisymmetric boussinesq problem for a punch of arbitrary profileInternational Journal of Engineering Science, 1965
- Preparation and Properties of Serum and Plasma Proteins. VIII. The Conversion of Human Fibrinogen to Fibrin under Various Conditions1,2Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1947