Figure 5.

The degradability of the ECM regulates vascular morphogenesis. (A) Decreasing the degradability of methacrylated dextran hydrogels by reducing their susceptibility to MMP-mediated degradation increased the number of multicellular sprouts (cyan highlights F-actin expression). Stiffness remained constant at ∼1 kPa. Reprinted from [83] with permission. (B) Aprotinin, a small molecule commonly used to stabilize fibrin hydrogels, slowed degradation and impaired the ability of mCherry-HUVECs to form vascular networks. Reprinted with permission from [84]