The regulatory effect of grass carp collagen configuration on the migration behavior of stem cells

Abstract

Stem cells serve as promising candidates for regenerative medicine. The migration capability of stem cells may determine the treatment efficacy. Currently, chemotaxis and thigmotaxis are two plausible approaches to regulate cell migration behaviors, with thigmotaxis requiring actual contact between the cell and an external substrate. Collagen, a main component of the extracellular matrix, is promising for regulating cell behaviors. However, few studies have focused on revealing the regulatory effect of collagen on cell migration, especially the relationship between collagen configuration and stem cell migration behavior. Collagen plays an essential role in many regenerative processes, highlighting the importance of using collagen to explore its regulatory effect on stem cell migration. Therefore, grass carp derived collagen configuration was flexibly controlled through heating in a water bath, cross-linking with a chemical strategy, and assembly. The migration behavior of adipose tissue-derived stromal cells was regulated. Results confirmed that migration capability increased with higher levels of cross-linking and assembly, while denaturation inhibited migration. Additionally, the expression level of F-actin was positively correlated with migration behavior under these conditions. In conclusion, we presented a simple yet effective approach for designing collagen-based biomaterials to precisely control stem cell migration processes, potentially enhancing the treatment efficacy of some diseases.