FIG. 1.

Experimental setup; (A) Top view of experimental setup; light blue represents the silicone dish; the white squares represent the plastic cover plates with nine holes/perforations (width×length; 27×24 mm, diameter of the perforation 1 mm); the gray circles represent the metal weights (diameter 15 mm, height 5 mm) to keep the gel in position; (B) Lateral view of a relaxed dish; in purple, the medium; in gray, the metal weight; in white, the plastic cover plate; and in pink, the cell-gel solution; (C) Top view of the coverslip; the area in between the holes was considered the central area (CA), and the area surrounding the holes was the edge area (EA).