Improvement and modulation of mechanical properties of hydrogel from ventricular extracellular matrix and its compatibility for cell culture

Abstract

The mechanical properties of a scaffold is one of the critical cues for differentiating stem cells. Although hydrogels reconstituted from cardiac ECM have been utilized as a scaffold to induce cardiac differentiation, how to obtain the appropriate mechanical properties of the hydrogel for cardiac differentiation has not been investigated. We modulated the mechanical properties of ventricular ECM hydrogels (vECM gels) using N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC). The mechanical properties of vECM gels were investigated by means of compression test and analyzed by a non-linear viscoelastic model, which consists of two non-linear springs, the first determines the reversible elasticity and the second for the viscous dissipation. The first elastic modulus K1 in 12.5 mg/ml-vECM gels can be enhanced from 129.5 Pa to 3868.0 Pa by EDAC treatment as well as the second modulus K2 from 1956.3 Pa to 5915.9 Pa. The compatibility of the gels for cell culture was also investigated.