The mechanical interactions between cells and fiber-dominated extracellular matrix (ECM) are crucial in regulating matrix-remodeling and cellular physiological processes. Electrospun fibers, as a type of biomimicking fibers, provide an ideal platform for engineering a variety of tissues in vitro. However, the mechanisms by which electrospun fibers promote cellular matrix-remodeling, particularly concerning the characteristic mechanical compliance in the fibers, remain inadequately understood due to the crossing and entanglement of electrospun ultrafine fibers in those densely packed fibrous mats. This study devised low-density fibrous network and mechanically sensitive fibroblasts to investigate how cells sense, respond to, and remodel the residing microenvironment at both cellular and molecular levels. The results showed that the fibroblasts cultured on the low-density fibrous network exhibited a contractile phenotype, as evidenced by the upregulated transcription and synthesis of ECM-related proteins as well as fiber recruitment capability, thereby displaying a greater capacity in matrix-remodeling. Analysis of mechanotransduction-related markers revealed that the RhoA-ROCK signaling pathway was activated in the low-density fibrous network-substrated fibroblasts. Additionally, enhanced cytoskeletal assembly, cell contractility, YAP nuclear translocation, and activation of Piezo1 were observed. Inhibition of ROCK disrupted mechanotransduction, consequently impairing the cell's matrix-remodeling capacity. These findings demonstrate that the low-density electrospun fibrous network promotes the cell-mediated matrix-remodeling by facilitating mechanotransduction signaling. This study establishes a theoretical framework for understanding how electrospun fibers regulate cellular function at the micro-mechanical level and may shed insights on the design of biomimetic fibrous scaffolds for promoting tissue regeneration.

19 Mar 2025·Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Discovery and Functional Characterization of a Recombinant Fragment of Human Collagen Type XVII

Article

Author: Li, Jiajia ; Chang, Shan ; Piao, Lianhua ; Kong, Ren ; Cheng, Xinyi ; Fu, Shengwei ; Su, Yangyang ; Li, Xiaojing ; Yuan, Xiaofeng

COL17A1 is predominantly expressed in skin epithelial cells and primarily localized within hemidesmosomes. It plays an essential role in epidermal-dermal attachment. Consequently, a recombinant human-like COL17A1 protein (rhCOL17) with low molecular weight and high biocompatibility presents a promising and competitive biomaterial. The aim of this study is to gain more insight into the biological functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of rhCOL17, which primarily consists of amino acid residues Gly659-Leu720. Using a combination of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we identified the interacting partner proteins of rhCOL17 in HaCaT cells. These included several collagens, integrins, and cell polarity proteins. Upon rhCOL17 treatment, the expression levels of laminin-332, integrin β1, and the cell polarity proteins PAR-3 and PAR-6B were upregulated, while the PRKCZ, AKT, and TGF-β1 signaling pathways were activated. Furthermore, rhCOL17 was found to promote cell proliferation and mitigate UV radiation-induced damage, partly by modulating these interacting proteins and their associated signaling pathways. Additional analyses using AlphaFold2 and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the rhCOL17 peptide bound stably and tightly to the canonical ligand-binding site between the integrin α3 and β1 subunits. These findings highlight the potential versatility and applications of rhCOL17 in the field of antiaging.

26 Nov 2024·ACS Omega

Ultra-micro Liquid Crystal in Cosmetic Emulsion with Excellent Moisture Retention and Delivery Selectivity

Article

Author: Chen, Yuyan ; Sun, Jingxia ; Wang, Ning ; Zhang, Jun ; Chen, Jiayue ; Wei, Xiaolan ; Hua, Zerui ; Zhang, Shaolong ; Yang, Xin ; He, Jingru ; Zhang, Chunxiao

Compared with ordinary emulsified cosmetics, liquid crystal emulsified cosmetics have obvious advantages. In this paper, an ultra-micro liquid crystal (ULC) emulsion with particle size less than 4 μm was successfully synthesized using a simple oil-in-water emulsification method, and large liquid crystal (LLC) and non-liquid crystal (NLC) emulsions were also prepared as controls. Three kinds of emulsions were examined by polarizing microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Rheological tests, in vivo experiments, reconstructed Raman maps tracking selected markers and thermogravimetric (TG) results showed that the ULC emulsion expressed excellent viscoelasticity, long-term moisturizing property with barrier function and better selective delivery of active substances compared with LLC and NLC emulsions. Molecular dynamics simulation on the ULC system and deuterium order parameter plots respectively indicated that GYY (glyceryl stearate citrate) showed a tendency to form a stable structure by reducing the total interaction energy and enhancing system lamellar ordering. This work not only demonstrates the great potential of ultra-micro liquid crystals in for commercial applications in cosmetics but also offers a deeper understanding of the intrinsic properties and growth mechanisms of ultra-micro liquid crystals at the microscopic level.

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