Extracellular influences known to affect the regulation of chondrocyte biosynthetic and catabolic activity have been shown to include soluble factors, extracellular matrix and mechanical stress. A balance of these numerous extracellular influences is required for normal function of articular cartilage. It is likely that OA is the result of an imbalance of regulatory influences, ultimately resul...

Collagen is the most abundant component of extracellular matrix (ECM), therefore it represents an ideal biomaterial for culture a variety cell types. Recently, collagen-based scaffolds have shown promise as 3D platforms breast cancer-based research. Two-dimensional (2D) in vitro models, while useful gaining preliminary insights, are ultimately flawed they do not adequately replicate tumour micr...

Introduction The extracellular matrix is a network of proteins and carbohydrates that supports and surrounds the cells in connective tissues. In addition to their structural-mechanical functions ECM molecules regulate diverse cellular functions, and play a significant role in several physiological and pathological processes, such as embryonic development, inflammation and wound healing, hemosta...

objective (s): the scarcity of articular cartilage defect to repair due to absence of blood vessels and tissue engineering is one of the promising approaches for cartilage regeneration. the objective of this study was to prepare an extracellular matrix derived decellularized bovine articular cartilage scaffold and investigate its interactions with seeded rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (...

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex meshwork of cross-linked proteins providing both biophysical and biochemical cues that are important regulators of cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, and migration. We present here a proteomic strategy developed to characterize the in vivo ECM composition of normal tissues and tumors using enrichment of protein extracts for ECM components ...

Despite the crucial role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in directing cell fate in healthy and diseased tissues--particularly in development, wound healing, tissue regeneration and cancer--the mechanisms that direct the assembly and regulate hierarchical architectures of ECM are poorly understood. Collagen I matrix assembly in vivo requires active fibronectin (Fn) fibrillogenesis by cells. Here w...

Collective cell migration drives tissue remodeling during development, wound repair, and metastatic invasion. The physical mechanisms by which cells move cohesively through dense three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM) remain incompletely understood. Here, we show directly that migration of multicellular cohorts through collagenous matrices occurs via a dynamic pulling mechanism, the ...

Periodontal disease causes tooth loss by destroying the attachment system and supporting tissues. therapy seeks to not only halt advancement of periodontal disease, but also repair lost structures caused progression. Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex three-dimensional network made up an array multidomain macromolecules organised in cell/tissue-specific manner that serves as structural sca...

Cardiac remodeling is regulated at the cellular level by coordinated responses to biomechanical signals, such as actomyosin contractile forces, hemodynamic loading, and extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanical properties. In cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes), nucleus ECM are physically connected a series of structural protein networks that span cell membrane, sarcomere, cytoskeleton, nucleoske...

Aging of the extracellular matrix (ECM), the protein matrix that surrounds and penetrates the tissues and binds the body together, contributes significantly to functional aging of tissues. ECM proteins become increasingly cross-linked with age, and this cross-linking is probably important in the decline of the ECM's function. This article reviews the role of ε-(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (EGGL), a cros...