Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Matrix Biol. 2016 Aug 6;60-61:86–95. doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2016.08.001

Figure 3. Role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in alterations of TC-matrix remodeling.

Figure 3

a) Immunofluorescence of MMP inhibited (MI/) TC-ECMs reveals a predominantly Fn matrix and very few Col I fibers. Scale bar: 50 μm.

b) MI/TC-Fn fibers are thicker than c- and TC-Fn fibers, while the sparse MI/TC-Col I fibers are much thinner than TC-Col fibers. Fn Day 1: 0.92 ± 0.01 μm, n = 732; p < 0.01 (c-Fn); p < 0.0001 (TC-Fn), Day 5: 0.88 ± 0.01 μm, n = 811; p < 0.0001 (c-Fn & TC-Fn), Day 9: 0.8 ± 0.01 μm, n = 1078; p < 0.0001 (c-Fn); p < 0.01 (TC-Fn)). Col I Day 1: 0.78 ± 0.05 μm, n = 33, Day 5: 0.67 ± 0.01 μm, n = 232; p < 0.0001 (c-Fn & TC-Fn), Day 9: 0.84 ± 0.01 μm, n = 383; p < 0.0001 (c-Fn); p < 0.001 (TC-Fn). Mean ± SEM.

c) MI/TC-Fn linearity indicates a significant maximum in Fn strain at Day 5. MI/TC-Col I linearity gradually increases with time. Linearity of MI/ fibers (for both Fn and Col I) converges towards the same steady-state strain value similar to that of c- and TC- mature fibers at Day 9. Fn Day 1: Day 1: 0.89 ± 0.01, n = 94, Day 5: 0.92 ± 0.02, n = 55; p < 0.05, Day 9: 0.87 ± 0.01, n = 76. ; Col I Day 1: 0.83 ± 0.03, n = 14, Day 5: 0.86 ± 0.01, n = 90, Day 9: 0.89 ± 0.01, n = 130. Mean ± SEM.