Figure 3. Human mesenchymal stem cells synthesize their own extracellular matrix proteins when cultured within PEGDA superporous hydrogels.
Representative pseudocolored immunohistofluorescence micrographs of collagen type I, collagen type IV, fibronectin and laminin expressed by hMSCs cultured within SPHs and on tissue culture plastic (TCP) for 21 days. The expression of the four ECM proteins was positive in both culture systems. H33258 (blue) was used as a nuclear stain in the monolayer group. Due to strong background staining no H33258 staining was conducted in the SPH group. Scale bar is 100 μm in each image.