The interaction between collagen hydrogels with fibroblast cells

Introduction - Collagen hydrogel is a 3D matrix which is able to emulate the natural environment of the connective tissue in the human body. It can be used as a basic material to investigate the interaction of fibroblast cells with matrices in vitro. It is difficult to measure the attachment, growth and migration of cells on these matrices. However, this study attempted to quantify the attachment, growth and migration of fibroblast cells on collagen hydrogel as well as their physical effect. Methods - Collagen hydrogel was prepared using collagen, Dulbecco’s modified Eagles medium and phosphate buffer at neutral PH. The attachment of fibroblast cells from human skin on collagen hydrogel and collagen membrane was compared. The migration of fibroblast cells was observed by monitoring their migration to a hydrogel matrix in the medium. An MTT assay [tetrazolium-based (3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide)] was used for the quantification of fibroblast growth over a 4-day period. Hydrogel contraction, due to fibroblast growth, was also quantified. Results and discussion - The number of adhered fibroblast cells on the collagen hydrogel and collagen membrane was found to be more than without collagen. The results suggested that collagen membrane and collagen hydrogel were conducive to fibroblast attachment. Fibroblast cell growth occurred on the collagen hydrogel during the incubation period. The collagen hydrogel started to contract from the second day with a larger contraction ratio occurring at days 2 and 3, thereafter the contraction stabilized and came to a halt after 10 days. Larger contraction was observed in the collagen hydrogel due to higher cell proliferation when compared with the hydrogel without cells