Durotaxis is the phenomena of directed cell migration driven by gradients of extracellular matrix stiffness. Durotaxis has been recently involved in the development of fibrosis by promoting the recruitment of pathological fibroblasts to areas of established fibrosis, thus amplifying the fibrotic response. Here, we describe the fabrication of mechanically patterned hydrogels that can be used to investigate molecular mechanisms controlling durotaxis of fibroblasts and other cells with mechanosensing properties. This method effectively creates a stiffness gradient of 275 Pa/μm, mimicking the natural spatial stiffness variations we observed in fibrotic tissues from mouse models of fibrosis and human fibrotic diseases.
Keywords: Durotaxis; ECM; Fibrosis; Hydrogel; Myofibroblasts.