Cellular modulation by the mechanical cues from biomaterials for tissue engineering

Qiang Wei, Shenghao Wang, Feng Han, Huan Wang, Weidong Zhang, Qifan Yu, Changjiang Liu, Luguang Ding, Jiayuan Wang, Lili Yu, Caihong Zhu, Bin Li

Figure 5. Substrate stress-relaxation regulates scaffold remodelling and bone formation in vivo. (A) Young’s modulus and stress relaxation of slow- and fast-relaxing alginate hydrogels. (B) Representative micro-computed tomography renderings of rat calvaria 3 months post-injury. (C) Masson’s trichrome staining of the defect site in fast-relaxing and slow-relaxing gel conditions. Scale bars: 1 cm in B and 2 mm in C. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 8–10) and were analysed by Student’s t-test. τ1/2: stress relaxation rate. Reproduced with the permission of Darnell et al.94 Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.