Biomechanical and biochemical characteristics of a human fibroblast-produced and remodeled matrix

We report on a culture method for the rapid production of a strong Ad thick natural matrix by human cells for tissue engineering applications. Dermal fibroblasts were cultured for three weeks at high density on porous substrates in serum-containing or chemically defined media. The mechanical and biochemical properties of the resulting cell-derived matrix (CDM) were compared to those of standard fibroblast-populated collagen and fibrin gels and native human skin. We found that the ultimate tensile strength of CDM cultured in our chemically defined media (313 +/- 8.7 kPa) is significantly greater than for collagen gels (168 +/- 39.3 kPa), fibrin gels (133 +/- 8.0 kPa) and CDM cultured with serum (223 +/- 9.0 kPa), but less than native skin (713 +/- 55.2 kPa). In addition to the biomechanics, this *CDM is also biochemically more similar to native skin than the collagen and fibrin gels in terms of all parameters measured. As *CDM is produced by human cells in a chemically defined culture medium and is mechanically robust, it may be a viable living tissue equivalent for many connective tissue replacement applications requiring initial mechanical stability yet a high degree of biocompatibility. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.