Journal: Mechanobiology in Medicine

Article Title: Substrate pre-stretch reprograms macrophage behavior through surface topographical remodeling

doi: 10.1016/j.mbm.2026.100194

Figure Lengend Snippet: Pre-stretch remodeling the PDMS membrane surface (a) Schematic of the custom uniaxial pre-stretch device used to apply defined tensile strain to thin PDMS membranes prior to AFM characterization. L1 and L2 indicate the membrane length before and after stretching, respectively. (b) Representative AFM topographical images of PDMS membranes subjected to 0%, 10%, and 20% pre-stretch. (c) and (d) Quantification of step height and surface roughness (n = 10). (e) Quantification of Young's modulus, n = 10. (f) Representative water contact angle images and quantification of contact angle. Pre-stretch significantly reduced step height and surface roughness, whereas Young's modulus and contact angle remained unchanged. Data are presented as mean ± SD, n = 10. One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons was used for statistical analysis. ∗ p < 0.05, ∗∗ p < 0.01, ∗∗∗ p < 0.001; n.s., not significant.

Article Snippet: PDMS membrane-based platforms have also been widely used in mechanical stretch studies, where they provide a convenient substrate for applying defined tensile deformation while supporting live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis of force-responsive behavior, as exemplified by the Flexcell system.

Techniques: Membrane

Journal: Mechanobiology in Medicine

Article Title: Substrate pre-stretch reprograms macrophage behavior through surface topographical remodeling

doi: 10.1016/j.mbm.2026.100194

Figure Lengend Snippet: Pre-stretched PDMS membranes promote macrophage spreading and cytoskeletal remodeling. (a) Representative fluorescence images of RAW264.7 cells cultured on 0%, 10%, and 20% pre-stretched PDMS membranes, stained with phalloidin for F-actin (green) and DAPI for nuclei (blue). Merged images are shown in the right column. Scale bar = 50 μm. Then, quantification of (b) cell area, n ≥ 20. , (c) nuclear area, n ≥ 20, (d) cell roundness, n ≥ 20 and (e) F-actin intensity, n ≥ 20. Pre-stretched membranes increased cell and nuclear spreading while decreasing roundness and F-actin intensity. Data are presented as mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons was used for statistical analysis. ∗ p < 0.05, ∗∗ p < 0.01, ∗∗∗ p < 0.001; n.s., not significant.

Article Snippet: PDMS membrane-based platforms have also been widely used in mechanical stretch studies, where they provide a convenient substrate for applying defined tensile deformation while supporting live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis of force-responsive behavior, as exemplified by the Flexcell system.

Techniques: Fluorescence, Cell Culture, Staining

Journal: Mechanobiology in Medicine

Article Title: Substrate pre-stretch reprograms macrophage behavior through surface topographical remodeling

doi: 10.1016/j.mbm.2026.100194

Figure Lengend Snippet: Pre-stretched PDMS membranes promote macrophage adhesion and motility. (a) Cell–substrate adhesion force measured by AFM-based single-cell force spectroscopy, n ≥ 10. (b) Representative migration trajectories of RAW264.7 macrophages on 0%, 10%, and 20% pre-stretched PDMS membranes, n = 10. (c–f) Quantification of migration velocity, n = 10 (c), accumulated distance, n = 10 (d), Euclidean distance, n = 10 (e), and directionality, n = 10(f). Pre-stretched membranes enhanced macrophage adhesion and migratory activity, particularly at 20% strain. Data are presented as mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons was used for statistical analysis. ∗ p < 0.05, ∗∗ p < 0.01, ∗∗∗ p < 0.001; n.s., not significant.

Article Snippet: PDMS membrane-based platforms have also been widely used in mechanical stretch studies, where they provide a convenient substrate for applying defined tensile deformation while supporting live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis of force-responsive behavior, as exemplified by the Flexcell system.

Techniques: Single Cell, Force Spectroscopy, Migration, Activity Assay

Journal: Mechanobiology in Medicine

Article Title: Substrate pre-stretch reprograms macrophage behavior through surface topographical remodeling

doi: 10.1016/j.mbm.2026.100194

Figure Lengend Snippet: Pre-stretched PDMS membranes enhance macrophage phagocytosis and ROS generation without affecting proliferation. (a) Representative fluorescence images of RAW264.7 macrophages cultured on PDMS membranes subjected to 0%, 10%, and 20% pre-stretch and stained with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA, red) to visualize membrane-associated features. Scale bar = 50 μm. (b–e) Quantitative analysis of WGA fluorescence intensity, n ≥ 20 (b), relative phagocytic activity, n = 5(c), intracellular ROS level, n = 4 (d), and relative cell proliferation, n = 5 (e) in macrophages cultured on membranes with different pre-stretch levels. Pre-stretched membranes significantly increased WGA fluorescence intensity, phagocytic activity, and intracellular ROS generation, whereas cell proliferation remained unchanged. Data are presented as mean ± SD. Statistical significance was analyzed by one-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons. ∗ p < 0.05, ∗∗ p < 0.01, ∗∗∗ p < 0.001; n.s., not significant.

Article Snippet: PDMS membrane-based platforms have also been widely used in mechanical stretch studies, where they provide a convenient substrate for applying defined tensile deformation while supporting live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis of force-responsive behavior, as exemplified by the Flexcell system.

Techniques: Fluorescence, Cell Culture, Staining, Membrane, Activity Assay

Journal: Mechanobiology in Medicine

Article Title: Substrate pre-stretch reprograms macrophage behavior through surface topographical remodeling

doi: 10.1016/j.mbm.2026.100194

Figure Lengend Snippet: Pre-stretched promote pro-inflammatory macrophage polarization. (a) qRT-PCR analysis of TNFα, IL-1β, Arg1, and IL-10 expression in RAW264.7 cells cultured on 0%, 10%, and 20% pre-stretched PDMS membranes, n = 3. ELISA quantification of secreted (b) TNF-α and (c) IL-10, n = 3. (d) Schematic illustration summarizing the effects of pre-stretched membranes on macrophage behavior. Pre-stretched membranes increased pro-inflammatory marker expression and TNF-α secretion without enhancing anti-inflammatory associated markers, indicating a shift toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Data are presented as mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons was used for statistical analysis. ∗ p < 0.05, ∗∗ p < 0.01, ∗∗∗ p < 0.001; n.s., not significant.

Article Snippet: PDMS membrane-based platforms have also been widely used in mechanical stretch studies, where they provide a convenient substrate for applying defined tensile deformation while supporting live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis of force-responsive behavior, as exemplified by the Flexcell system.

Techniques: Quantitative RT-PCR, Expressing, Cell Culture, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Marker

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: An embolism-free nonfouling hydrogel coating with high toughness and lubricity for intravascular medical devices via chain-entanglement mediated topological gelation

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.11.033

Figure Lengend Snippet: Formation and the characterizations of the chain entanglement-mediated zwitterionic physical hydrogel coatings. a) Schematic illustration of the formation of the chain-entangled hydrogel coating. b) Representative SEM images of the substrate PDMS and coatings prepared at different monomer concentrations. c) Molecular weights of the dissolved polymer coating. Coated samples undergo substrate degradation, dialysis, lyophilization, and GPC testing. d) Statistical thickness data of the coatings in dry and swollen states prepared at different monomer concentrations ( n = 3), where a polymer brush's theoretical swollen thickness limit is calculated based on the molecular weights, assuming the polymer chains are fully extended. e) Schematic illustration of the coating structure prepared at different monomer concentrations.

Article Snippet: Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) base resin and a curing agent Sylgard 184 kit were purchased from Dow Corning (Hangzhou, China).

Techniques: Polymer, Lyophilization

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: An embolism-free nonfouling hydrogel coating with high toughness and lubricity for intravascular medical devices via chain-entanglement mediated topological gelation

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.11.033

Figure Lengend Snippet: Lubrication and stability of the chain entanglement-mediated zwitterionic physical hydrogel coatings. a) Quantitative analysis of the friction coefficient of coatings prepared at different monomer concentrations rubbed for 900 s at a pressure of 10 kPa ( n = 3). b) The friction coefficients of the substrate PDMS, CHC, and THC under pressures of 10 kPa, 50 kPa, and 100 kPa ( n = 3). c) Friction coefficient versus time curves for PDMS, CHC, and THC under a pressure of 100 kPa. d) SEM and EDS images of PDMS, CHC, and THC after friction for 900 s under a pressure of 100 kPa. e) The thickness of the THC prepared at 30 wt% monomer concentration did not change after 12 h of ultrasonication or PBS washing for 30 days. f,g) The structural stability of two coatings (CHC and THC) under tensile tests (f) and extreme bending tests (g) . Data presented as mean ± SD and analyzed using a one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test in (b) , ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.01, ∗∗∗ P < 0.001, ns: no significant difference at P > 0.05.

Article Snippet: Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) base resin and a curing agent Sylgard 184 kit were purchased from Dow Corning (Hangzhou, China).

Techniques: Concentration Assay