Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Developing sex-accurate cell culture environments

The extracellular matrix remains under-recognized as a sex-dependent entity. Designing culture environments that account for sex as a biological variable requires considering not only cellular sex, but also the usage of sex-specific scaffolds to create a holistically sex-accurate platform.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. James, B. D., Guerin, P. & Allen, J. B. Let’s talk about sex—biological sex is underreported in biomaterial studies. Adv. Healthc. Mater. 10, e2001034 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Walker, C. J., Schroeder, M. E., Aguado, B. A., Anseth, K. S. & Leinwand, L. A. Matters of the heart: cellular sex differences. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 160, 42–55 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hernandez, P. A. et al. Sexual dimorphism in the extracellular and pericellular matrix of articular cartilage. Cartilage https://doi.org/10.1177/19476035221121792 (2022).

  4. Grilo, G. A. et al. Age- and sex-dependent differences in extracellular matrix metabolism associate with cardiac functional and structural changes. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 139, 62–74 (2020).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Lock, R. et al. A framework for developing sex-specific engineered heart models. Nat. Rev. Mater. 7, 295–313 (2022).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Batzdorf, C. S. et al. Sexual dimorphism in extracellular matrix composition and viscoelasticity of the healthy and inflamed mouse brain. Biology 11, 230 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Arani, A. et al. Measuring the effects of aging and sex on regional brain stiffness with MR elastography in healthy older adults. Neuroimage 111, 59–64 (2015).

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Mueller, M. C., Du, Y., Walker, L. A. & Magin, C. M. Dynamically stiffening biomaterials reveal age- and sex-specific differences in pulmonary arterial adventitial fibroblast activation. Matrix Biol. Plus 22, 100145 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Engler, A. J., Sen, S., Sweeney, H. L. & Discher, D. E. Matrix elasticity directs stem cell lineage specification. Cell 126, 677–689 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Institutes of Health (R01 HL172046 to K.S.M.).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristyn S. Masters.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Borelli, A.N., Masters, K.S. Developing sex-accurate cell culture environments. Nat Rev Bioeng 3, 2–3 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00265-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00265-3

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research