FIG. 2.

Morphology of human fibroblasts in 2D and 3D matrices (A) and quantification of cell length, width, and spread area in 2D and 3D matrices. (A) Cells were imaged using phase-contrast microscopy at 24 h after plating on 2D matrix-coated coverslips or into 3D matrices. Scale bar represents 10 μm. (B, C) Cell outlines were determined as described in the Materials and Methods section. The cell spread area (B) was calculated on 2D and 3D substrates after concanavalin A or phalloidin staining. The cells on a 2D surface were nearly twice as large in terms of cell spread area as cells in the comparable 3D matrix. The cell axial ratio (cell length/width) was calculated (C); the cells in 3D BME were unable to spread and thus had an axial ratio close to 1 because their length and width were nearly identical. Scale bar represents 10 μm and error bars indicate standard error. *p < 0.05 and ***p < 0.001. 2D, two-dimensional.