Fig. 3. Mechanical characterization of Trpzip hydrogels.
a Oscillatory time sweeps of Trpzip-QV hydrogels of varied concentration represented in percent weight per volume (% w/v). Data is shown as mean ± s.d. (shaded area) from n = 3 independently prepared gels. b Oscillatory time sweeps of Trpzip-QV hydrogels (1% w/v, DMEM, pH 7) at 20 °C and 37 °C (light and dark blue, respectively). Data is shown as mean ± s.d. (shaded area) from n = 3 independently prepared gels. c A strain sweep was performed at 1 Hz of a Trpzip-QV hydrogel (1% w/v, DMEM, pH 7). The dotted pink line indicates yield-point. Data is shown as mean ± s.d. (shaded area) from n = 3 independently prepared gels. d A viscosity flow curve of Trpzip-QV hydrogels (1% w/v, DMEM, pH 7). Data is shown as mean ± s.d. (shaded area) from n = 3 independently prepared gels. e Thixotropic test on Trpzip-QV hydrogels (3% w/v, DMEM, pH 7) involving exposure to 5% shear strain for 5 min, followed by reduction of shear strain to 1% for 2 h, repeated three times in succession. Data is shown as mean ± s.d. (shaded area) from n = 3 independently prepared gels. f Stress-relaxation profiles of Trpzip-QV hydrogels (1% w/v, DMEM, pH 7), Matrigel, and polyethylene-glycol dimethacrylate (PEG-DM) hydrogels. Data is shown as mean ± s.d. (shaded area) from n = 3 independently prepared gels. g Relaxation half-time (τ1/2) of Trpzip-QV hydrogels (1% w/v, DMEM, pH 7) and Matrigel. P-values were calculated using a two-tailed unpaired t-test. Data is shown as mean ± s.d. from n = 3 independently prepared gels. h Effect of IKVAV-Trpzip-QV peptide (200 μM concentration) on bulk hydrogel stiffness. Data is shown as mean ± s.d. from n = 3 independently prepared gels. P-values were calculated using a two-tailed unpaired t-test.