Figure 1 | Scientific Reports

Figure 1

From: Stiffening hydrogels for investigating the dynamics of hepatic stellate cell mechanotransduction during myofibroblast activation

Figure 1

Visible-light mediated stiffening of MeHA gels.

(a) Hyaluronic acid was modified with methacrylates to enable both addition and radical crosslinking. (b) RGD-containing peptide was coupled to MeHA followed by an initial Michael-type addition reaction to form a soft gel. Radical polymerization in the presence of visible blue light and the photoinitiator LAP enabled substrate stiffening. (c) Rheology profile showing stiffening of MeHA in response to blue light (3 mW/cm2, 15 min, shaded) in the presence of LAP (6.6 mM). Closed circles represent storage modulus (G’), open circles represent loss modulus (G”). (d) AFM measurements of both soft and stiff (blue light: 10 mW/cm2, 5 min, LAP: 6.6 mM) hydrogel elastic moduli (n = 3 gels per group, error bars represent s.e.m.). ***P < 0.001.

Back to article page