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. 2022 Dec;16(4):621-626.
doi: 10.1007/s12079-021-00643-1. Epub 2021 Aug 31.

Matrigel: history/background, uses, and future applications

Antonino Passaniti  1 , Hynda K Kleinman  2 , George R Martin  3
Affiliations

Matrigel: history/background, uses, and future applications

Antonino Passaniti et al. J Cell Commun Signal. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Basement membranes are thin sheets of extracellular matrix with many diverse roles in the body. Those in normal tissue are also highly insoluble and resist attempts to extract and characterize their components. A mouse tumor, the EHS tumor, has provided large amounts of basement membrane material, which has facilitated the structural and functional characterization of its components. An extract of the tumor, known as Matrigel, contains components which reconstitute into a solid gel at 37°. This solid basement membrane matrix has been used in both cell culture and in vivo. Matrigel has been utilized in some 12,000-plus publications for a variety of studies with embryonic, normal, and stem or malignant cells. Evidence presented in this Commentary suggests that Matrigel isolated from tumors grown in diverse hosts could exert unique effects that could be helpful in analyzing the causes of various pathologies and for screening possible therapeutic agents.

Keywords: Basement membrane; Collagen type IV; Extracellular matrix; Invasion; Laminin; Matrigel.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Matrigel Tube Assay HUVEC endothelial cells cultured on Matrigel for 18 h. A complex network of anastomosing cells is observed. Bars, 20 μm. Kubota et al
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
In vivo angiogenesis assay. a Young (3-month) and b old (26-month) C57BL mice were given subcutaneous injections of equal amounts (0.5 mL) of cold (liquid) Matrigel containing 75 ng bFGF. The resultant gels were dissected 6 days after injection and processed for histology. Representative Trichrome-Masson stained sections from mice aged 3 months (a) or 26 months (b) are shown. SK = skin; MG = Matrigel; Arrowheads indicate neovessels with red blood cells within the Matrigel. Pili et al
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Invasion assay: Boyden chamber assembly used for the invasion assay is shown in the upper left, section of a Matrigel-coated (50 μg protein) filter is shown in the upper right. Lower surfaces of an invasion membrane when poorly invasive NIH3T3 (lower left) and highly invasive T24/3T3 (lower right) are assayed for invasion, shown lower panels. Albini et al
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Matrigel tumor growth assay. Representative subcutaneous tumors formed by SCLC cell lines in athymic nude mice inoculated with 5 × 105 cells either alone (bottom) or within (top row) Matrigel. Fridman et al
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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