Showing papers by "Eileen Gentleman published in 2004"
TL;DR: By limiting contraction and maintaining permeability, the incorporation of short collagen fibers should enable thecreation of larger constructs by allowing for greater nutrient diffusion, and permit the creation of more complicated shapes during gel casting.
Abstract: Tissue engineering may allow for the reconstruction of breast, facial, skin, and other soft tissue defects in the human body. Cell-seeded collagen gels are a logical choice for creating soft tissues because they are biodegradable, mimic the natural tissue, and provide a three-dimensional environment for the cells. The main drawback associated with this approach, however, is the subsequent contraction of the gel by the constituent cells, which severely reduces permeability, initiates apoptosis, and precludes control of the resulting shape and size of the construct. In this study, type I collagen gels were seeded with fibroblasts and cast either with or without the addition of short collagen fibers. Gel contraction was monitored and permeability was assessed after 7 and 14 days in culture. The addition of short collagen fibers both significantly limited contraction and increased permeability of fibroblast-seeded collagen gels. The addition of short collagen fibers had no detrimental effect on cell prolifera...
46 citations