| Autor: |
Curvello R; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia., Raghuwanshi VS; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.; Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia., Wu CM; Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Height, New South Wales 2234, Australia.; National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 300092, Taiwan., Mata J; Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Height, New South Wales 2234, Australia.; School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia., Garnier G; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.; Bioresource Processing Research Institute of Australia (BioPRIA), Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia. |
| Abstrakt: |
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the fundamental acellular element of human tissues, providing their mechanical structure while delivering biomechanical and biochemical signals to cells. Three-dimensional (3D) tissue models commonly use hydrogels to recreate the ECM in vitro and support the growth of cells as organoids and spheroids. Collagen-nanocellulose (COL-NC) hydrogels rely on the blending of both polymers to design matrices with tailorable physical properties. Despite the promising application of these biomaterials in 3D tissue models, the architecture and network organization of COL-NC remain unclear. Here, we investigate the structural effects of incorporating NC fibers into COL hydrogels by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra-SANS (USANS). The critical hierarchical structure parameters of fiber dimensions, interfiber distance, and coassembled open structures of NC and COL in the absence and presence of cells were determined. We found that NC expanded and increased the homogeneity in the COL network without affecting the inherent fiber properties of both polymers. Cells cultured as spheroids in COL-NC remodeled the hydrogel network without a significant impact on its architecture. Our study reveals the polymer organization of COL-NC hydrogels and demonstrates SANS and USANS as exceptional techniques to reveal nano- and micron-scale details on polymer organization, which leads to a better understanding of the structural properties of hydrogels to engineer novel ECMs. |
