Single-molecule AFM study of hyaluronic acid softening in electrolyte solutions

Dubrovin, Evgeniy V.; Barinov, Nikolay A.; Ivanov, Dmitry; Klinov, Dmitry V.

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.120472

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…All hydrogels showed strain-stiffening behaviour (figure 2(a)). The fibrin networks stiffened at much smaller strain (~10 %) than the Tyr-HA networks (~100 %), reflecting the much larger persistence length of fibrin fibres compared to hyaluronan polymers [30][31][32]. Interestingly, the fibrin/Tyr-HA composites exhibited a strong enhancement of the linear modulus when compared to the individual constituents (Figure 2(a)).…”

Section: Hydrogelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the Local Mechanical Environment on Cell Shape and Chondrogenesis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in 3D Biomimetic Composite Materials

Fenu,

Muntz,

Harting

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Efforts to model and repair connective tissue through engineered tissue constructs have generated great interest in culturing cells in 3d polymer network environments. It has been shown that the polymer environment is influential in determining cellular responses such as differentiation, migration and morphology. Hydrogels are used to mimic the cellular microenvironment, but in most cases hydrogels consisting of one polymeric component are used whereas tissues are composites of different polymers. A clear understanding of how different extracellular components and their mechanical characteristics influence cell behaviour is lacking. Here we developed and characterised composite hydrogels of hyaluronan and fibrin and evaluated their use for cartilage tissue engineering. We demonstrate that these cartilage-mimicking composites have a higher stiffness relative to the individual constituents. Next, we cultured human mesenchymal stromal cells in these 3D hydrogels with chondrogenic media and revealed marked differences in cell morphology, gene expression and cartilage-like matrix deposition depending on the specific extracellular composition. We found that, despite evidence for strong adhesion of the cells to fibrin networks in 2D systems, in 3D systems the primary determinant of cellular morphology is the significantly denser hyaluronan network. Dense hyaluronan hydrogels cause local cell confinement evidenced by rounder cell morphologies, independent of the presence of fibrin. While the composite fibrin-hyaluronan hydrogels led to lower expression of chondrogenic genes than hyaluronan alone, the larger linear modulus and resistance to cell-mediated contraction due to the composite nature of the matrix provides a strong advantage in terms of macroscopic mechanical stability. These findings highlight the potential of multi-component hydrogels for controlling cellular behaviour and bulk mechanical properties of cell-hydrogel constructs independently, therefore opening avenues for better understanding the complex interplay between cells and their extracellular environment and thus improve the biofabrication of connective tissues for disease modelling and tissue regeneration.

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Section: Hydrogelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the Local Mechanical Environment on Cell Shape and Chondrogenesis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in 3D Biomimetic Composite Materials

Fenu,

Muntz,

Harting

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Because of the comparatively high elasticity of a biopolymer molecule, HA can be considered a semiflexible polymer. A wormlike chain (WLC) model has been employed in numerous studies to characterize its conformational and mechanical properties. , The results have demonstrated the intimate relationship between the physicochemical properties of HA and the environmental conditions . Moreover, a recent study has highlighted the significant role of sugar ring linkages in determining the conformational and functional properties of polysaccharides .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hyaluronic Acid Unveiled: Exploring the Nanomechanics and Water Retention Properties at the Single-Molecule Level

Yu,

Guo,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Langmuir

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Hyaluronic acid (HA), a vital glycosaminoglycan in living organisms, possesses remarkable mechanical and viscoelastic properties that have garnered significant attention in therapeutic, biomedical, and cosmetic applications. However, a comprehensive picture of the physicochemical and biocharacterization of HA at the single-molecule level remains elusive. In this work, atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were used to investigate the nanomechanics and water retention properties of HA at the singlemolecule level. The present study aims to unravel the intricate details of the influence of molecular structure on HA behavior and shed light on its unique attributes. According to the force measurements, the energy used to stretch a HA chain in water is 8.45 kJ/mol, significantly surpassing that of Curdlan (3.45 kJ/mol) and chitin (2.23 kJ/mol), both of which possess molecular structures partially similar to that of HA. Intriguingly, the strength of the intrachain interaction of HA (5.54 kJ/mol) was considerably weaker compared to Curdlan (11.06 kJ/mol) and chitin (or cellulose, 10.76 kJ/mol). This result indicates that HA exhibits a preference for interacting with water rather than with itself, thereby showing enhanced water affinity. Moreover, the force measurements demonstrated that changing the glycosidic bond from β-(1−3) (Curdlan) or β-(1−4) (chitin or cellulose) to β-(1−3) + β-(1−4) (HA) resulted in polysaccharides displaying improved water affinity and more extended conformation. These conclusions were further verified by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Overall, our work sheds new light on the nanomechanics and water retention properties of HA at the single-molecule level, offering valuable insights for future research in this field.

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Hyaluronan oligosaccharides form double-helical duplexes in water:1,4-dioxane mixed solvent

Kolaříková,

Kutálková,

Hrnčiřík

et al. 2024

Carbohydrate Polymers

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Single-molecule AFM study of hyaluronic acid softening in electrolyte solutions

Cited by 7 publications

References 69 publications

The Impact of the Local Mechanical Environment on Cell Shape and Chondrogenesis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in 3D Biomimetic Composite Materials

The Impact of the Local Mechanical Environment on Cell Shape and Chondrogenesis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in 3D Biomimetic Composite Materials

Hyaluronic Acid Unveiled: Exploring the Nanomechanics and Water Retention Properties at the Single-Molecule Level

Hyaluronan oligosaccharides form double-helical duplexes in water:1,4-dioxane mixed solvent

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