Stiffness of Culture Media Changes Behavior of In Vitro Cardiac Fibroblasts

Article title: Substrate stiffness modulates cardiac fibroblast activation, senescence, and proinflammatory secretory phenotype

Authors: Marina B. Felisbino, Marcello Rubino, Joshua G. Travers, Katherine B. Schuetze, Madeleine E. Lemieux, Kristi S. Anseth, Brian A. Aguado, and Timothy A. McKinsey

From the authors: “Our findings highlight the advantages and pitfalls associated with culturing cardiac fibroblasts on hydrogels of varying stiffness. The findings also define stiffness-dependent signaling and transcriptional networks in cardiac fibroblasts.”

This study is highlighted as one of January’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society's APSselect program.