The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex assembly of structural proteins that provides physical support and biochemical signaling to cells in tissues. The mechanical properties of the ECM have been found to play a key role in regulating cell behaviors such as differentiation and malignancy. Gels formed from ECM protein biopolymers such as collagen or fibrin are commonly used for 3D cell cult...

The Bigger Picture Gels are ubiquitous soft solids that are widely used in everyday life. Most gels are based on polymeric materials, as either entangled biopolymers or covalently crosslinked networks. Low-molecularweight gels, or supramolecular gels, are another fascinating and useful class of gel. Here, the assembly of small molecules into a network immobilizes the solvent. These materials ar...

In the last decade, interest in physical organogels has grown rapidly with the discovery and synthesis of a very large number of diverse molecules, which can gel organic solvents at low concentrations. The gelator molecules immobilise large volumes of liquid following their self-assembly into a variety of aggregates such as rods, tubules, fibres and platelets. The many interesting properties of...

Phosphomannan polysaccharides and fucoidan, a polymer of fucose 4-sulfate, have been demonstrated to inhibit adhesion of lymphocytes to tissue sections that contain high endothelial venules (Stoolman, L. M., T. S. Tenforde, and S. D. Rosen, 1984, J. Cell Biol., 99:1535-1540). We have investigated the potential cell surface carbohydrate receptors involved by quantitating adhesion of rat cervical...

Cell adhesion and morphology are affected by the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix. Using polyacrylamide gels as cell substrates, the cellular response to substrate compliance was investigated in pure neuronal, pure astroglial, or mixed co-cultures. Substrates used spanned a large range of stiffnesses including that of brain tissue. In both pure and mixed cultures, immature (vim...

Chemical and biochemical modification of hydrogels is one strategy to create physiological constructs that maintain cell function. The aim of this study was to apply oxidised alginate hydrogels as a basis for development of a biomimetic niche for limbal epithelial stem cells that may be applied to treating corneal dysfunction. The stem phenotype of bovine limbal epithelial cells (LEC) and the v...

Hydrogels with tissue-like mechanical properties are highly attractive scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, copolymers containing vinyl phosphonic acid (VPA) and acrylamide (AM) were tested for their swelling, protein uptake in serum supplemented medium, and cell adhesion and proliferation. The swelling of the gels in serum containing culture medium increased with increasing VPA con...

Food gels are viscoelastic substances and several gelled products are manufactured throughout the world. The gelling agents in foods are usually polysaccharides and proteins. In food gels, the polymer molecules are not cross-linked by covalent bonds with the exception of disulphide bonds in some protein gels. Instead, the molecules are held together by a combination of weak inter-molecular forc...

Hydroxyapatite/poly(vinyl alcohol) (Hap/PVA) composites have been proposed as a promising biomaterial for use in articular cartilage repair. In this study, HAp/PVA composite gels reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were prepared using the freeze/thaw method. The influence of CNC as a reinforcement on the structure of composite gels was investigated via Fourier transform infrared spectr...

Ultralight cellular sponges offer a unique set of properties. We show here that solvent uptake by these sponges results in new gel-like materials, which we term spongy gels. The appearance of the spongy gels is very similar to classic organogels. Usually, organogels are formed by a bottom-up process. In contrast, the spongy gels are formed by a top-down approach that offers numerous advantages ...