Type I collagen structure modulates the behavior of osteoblast-like cells

The 3D structures of collagen, a major component of extracellular matrix, might modulate cell behavior, such as osteoblasts in bone formation. In this study, we explored the influence of structures of type I collagen – soluble (SC), fibrillar (FC) or denatured (DC) forms – on the behavior of osteoblasts-like cells (MG63 cells). The conformation of different forms of collagens was evaluated by TEM and AFM. The effect of different conformation of collagen on cell adhesion, morphology, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity and expression of three osteoblast-related genes were evaluated. We found that MG-63 cells grew slower on DC, compared to the soluble and fibrillar forms (p < 0.05). On the other hand, DC seemed to promote osteoblast entering differentiation stage, indicating by higher alkaline phosphatase activity (p < 0.05) and osteopondin expression. Our study suggests that collagen structures modulate osteoblasts behavior. When collagen is applied to scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, collagen structures must be taken into consideration.