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Decellularized Extracellular Matrix (ECM) as a Model to Study Fibrotic ECM Mechanobiology

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Myofibroblasts

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2299))

Abstract

Aberrant deposition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) causes fibrosis and leads to ECM stiffening. This fibrotic ECM provides biological and biophysical stimulations to alter cell activity and drive progression of fibrosis. As an emerging discipline, mechanobiology aims to access the impact of both these cues on cell behavior and relates the reciprocity of mechanical and biological interactions; it incorporates concepts from different fields, like biology and physics, to help study the mechanical and biological facets of fibrosis extensively. A useful experimental platform in mechanobiology is decellularized ECM (dECM), which mimics the native microenvironment more accurately than standard 2D culture techniques as its composition includes similar ECM protein components and stiffness. dECM, therefore, generates more reliable results that better recapitulate in vivo fibrosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Chiuan-Ren Yeh, Grace C. Bingham, Jagathpala Shetty, Ping Hu & Thomas H. Barker

Authors
  1. Chiuan-Ren Yeh
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  2. Grace C. Bingham
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  3. Jagathpala Shetty
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  4. Ping Hu
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  5. Thomas H. Barker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas H. Barker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Boris Hinz

  2. Matrix and Mechanobiology Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA

    David Lagares

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Yeh, CR., Bingham, G.C., Shetty, J., Hu, P., Barker, T.H. (2021). Decellularized Extracellular Matrix (ECM) as a Model to Study Fibrotic ECM Mechanobiology. In: Hinz, B., Lagares, D. (eds) Myofibroblasts. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2299. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1382-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1382-5_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1381-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1382-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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