Confocal reflectance microscopy and multiple particle tracking for the study of the gelation of biopolymers

Abstract

The combination of confocal reflectance imaging (CRM) and simultaneous multiple particle tracking (MPT) with mean-square displacement (MSD) analysis is a new method for studying the gelation of biopolymers. In addition to showing the structure of the biopolymer network by CRM, the microrheological properties at the same moment in gelation is shown by MSD-analysis of suspended particles. In this study the simultaneous use of these two methods has been used to investigate the fibrillogenesis and gelation of type 1 collagen. This new approach allows for non-invasive monitoring of the sample throughout the gelation process, revealing new insight on the correlation between network structures formed from during collagen self-assembly and the resulting mechanical properties of the gel.