Controlling Cell Behavior on Silk Nanofiber Hydrogels with Tunable Anisotropic Structures

Understanding the influence of various physical cues on cell behavior is critical for the design of bioactive biomaterials optimized for tissue regeneration. Hydrogels provide microenvironments suitable for cells and tissues, but the introduction of tunable physical cues in hydrogels is often challenging. Here, silk nanofiber hydrogels with tunable, aligned structures were prepared under electric fields and used to influence cell behavior. Cell responses to the aligned structures were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated by investigating cell proliferation, morphology, and migration behavior when compared to cells cultured on silk nanofiber hydrogels with homogeneous structures as controls. The cells seeded on anisotropic hydrogels showed oriented morphology, suggesting the link between aligned physical cues on cell morphology. The results indicated that tunable, aligned structures in hydrogels are effective for the design of bioactive biomaterials with preferred functions.