{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T10:10:40Z","timestamp":1790071840828,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789603200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"LIBON Inc.","award":["LIBON-2509-03"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LIBON-2509-03"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Funct. Biomater.","JFB"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Injectable collagen biomaterials are used to modify the dermal extracellular matrix in aged skin; however, whether concentration-dependent rheological differences are associated with distinct fibroblast responses remain unclear. We compared 3% and 6% atelocollagen (AtCOL) and examined three mechanobiological programs: (i) integrin (ITG) \u03b15\u03b21\u2013ERK\u2013cyclin D1 signaling related to proliferation; (ii) ITG\u03b21\u2013FAK\u2013YAP signaling related to matrix synthesis; and (iii) ITG\u03b111\u03b21\/Tensin-1\u2013positive fibrillar adhesion related to collagen assembly. Under the tested oscillatory shear conditions, 6% AtCOL displayed higher storage modulus (G\u2032), loss modulus (G\u2033), and complex viscosity, together with a lower tan \u03b4, than 3% AtCOL. In aged mouse skin, the 6% formulation was associated with greater increases in ITG\u03b15, pERK1\/2, cyclin D1, PCNA, pFAK, nuclear YAP, COL1A1, COL3A1, ITG\u03b111\u03b21\/Tensin-1 co-expression signal, collagen type I\/III ratio, collagen type I fiber bundle width, mature collagen content, dermal collagen density, and an instrument-derived skin elasticity index, while MMP1, MMP2, and MMP9 were reduced. In an H2O2-induced fibroblast senescence model, ITG\u03b21 knockdown attenuated AtCOL-associated proliferative, matrix-synthetic, and fibrillar-adhesion responses. Complementary ITG\u03b21 overexpression produced directionally concordant increases in ITGA11 expression, relative fibroblast proliferation, COL1A1, and COL3A1 and decreases in MMP1, MMP2, and MMP9. Collectively, these findings are consistent with a concentration-dependent, ITG\u03b21-centered mechanotransduction model linking fibroblast proliferation, matrix synthesis, and collagen assembly within a single AtCOL system.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfb17090474","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T09:04:17Z","timestamp":1790067857000},"page":"474","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Concentration-Dependent Rheological Properties of Atelocollagen Are Associated with Fibroblast Mechanotransduction and Collagen Remodeling in Aged Skin"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Seyeon","family":"Oh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Functional Cellular Networks Laboratory, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"LIBON Inc., Incheon 22006, Republic of 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Clinic, Ilsan, Goyang 10391, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"validation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2683-2606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jae Ik","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, International Healthcare Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Republic of 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Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"validation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Min Seung","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Functional Cellular Networks Laboratory, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Inee Clinic, Seoul 06030, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"validation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Soo Jeong","family":"Heo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Magma Clinic, Seoul 06014, Republic of 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