Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: Adaptable sliding hydrogels enable pericellular pocket formation while enhancing MSC chondrogenesis and survival in 3D ☆

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.03.014

Figure Lengend Snippet: Increasing stress relaxation and plasticity in ASG accelerate MSC-based cartilage formation in 3D . Reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis of chondrogenic markers for differentiation including A) transcription factor SRY-box transcription factor 9 ( SOX9 ) and cartilage matrix proteins B) aggrecan ( ACAN ) and C) type-2 collagen ( COL2 ) relative to SG (N = 3-4) and normalized to GAPDH. D) Safranin O staining of cryosectioned hydrogels at day 7 and day 21. Scale bar 75 μm. Quantification of E) day 7 and F) day 21 sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content per hydrogel using a dimethylmethylene blue assay (DMMB) (N = 3). G) Immunohistochemical staining for type-2 collagen at day 28. Scale bar 300 μm ns, not significant; ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.005, ∗∗∗ P < 0.001, ∗∗∗∗ P < 0.0001. The P values are obtained using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparisons tests.

Article Snippet: The following compounds were added to chondrogenic media for the first three days of culture: 50 μM Blebbistatin (MedChem Express); 10 μM Y27632 (Sigma-Aldrich); and DMSO was also added to relevant control groups.

Techniques: Reverse Transcription, Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Quantitative RT-PCR, Staining, Dimethylmethylene Blue Assay, Immunohistochemical staining

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: Adaptable sliding hydrogels enable pericellular pocket formation while enhancing MSC chondrogenesis and survival in 3D ☆

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.03.014

Figure Lengend Snippet: Integrin β-1 expression and cytoskeletal tension correlate with MSC survival and chondrogenesis in ASG. A) Relative gene expression of integrin β-1 ( ITGB1 ) on day 1 (N = 3). B) Representative western blots for integrin β-1 at day 3 and C) quantification (N = 3). GAPDH is used as a loading control and was run on the same blot. D) Representative immunofluorescent images of z-projected integrin β-1 staining on day 3. Scale bar 5 μm. E) Quantification of relative fluorescent intensity of integrin β-1 staining (N = 15 cells across 3 hydrogels). F) Schematic of experimental timeline for drug studies. CM = chondrogenic media; bleb = blebbistatin. Drugs were administered for the first three days of culture in CM and samples were harvested at day 7 and day 21. G) Cell viability is evaluated using live/dead staining at day 7 and H) quantified as a percent viability (N = 3). Scale bar 100 μm. I) Safranin O staining of final tissue formation outcomes at day 21. Scale bar 100 μm ns, not significant; ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.005, ∗∗∗ P < 0.001, ∗∗∗∗ P < 0.0001. The P value is obtained using an unpaired two-tailed t -test for A, C, and E and using a two-way ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparisons test for H.

Article Snippet: The following compounds were added to chondrogenic media for the first three days of culture: 50 μM Blebbistatin (MedChem Express); 10 μM Y27632 (Sigma-Aldrich); and DMSO was also added to relevant control groups.

Techniques: Expressing, Gene Expression, Western Blot, Control, Staining, Two Tailed Test