Indentation Micromechanics of Fibroblast-Populated Fibrin Constructs

摘要

During normal wound healing,a fibrin clot is formed within the first few minutes and is replaced,over several days,by collagen and other extracellular matrix components which are populated with fibroblasts [Clark,1996].This process leads to the rebuilding of dermal tissue on which the epidermal tissue is slowly rebuilt.In severe acute and chronic wounds dermal replacement materials that mimic these processes are needed.Current trends are to use scaffolds as structural substitutes as well as carriers for growth factors and cells for wound treatment.Fibrin-based sealants have been used over the last 30 years in hemostasis and tissue sealing applications and in the last 5 years as a scaffold.Fibrin sealant consists of two primary components,fibrinogen and thrombin which form a fibrin clot when mixed.However,a basic understanding of the microstructure/property relationships of fibrin/collagen constructs is not yet fully established.Furthermore,while previous studies showed that cells proliferate and differentiate within 3D fibrin clots,their effect on structural mechanics of the fibrin clot has not been examined.