Characterization of the Biophysical Properties and Cell Adhesion Interactions of Marine Invertebrate Collagen from Rhizostoma pulmo

Abstract

Collagen is the most ubiquitous biomacromolecule found in the animal kingdom and is commonly used as a biomaterial in regenerative medicine therapies and biomedical research. The collagens used in these applications are typically derived from mammalian sources which poses sociological issues due to widespread religious constraints, rising ethical concern over animal rights and the continuous risk of zoonotic disease transmission. These issues have led to increasing research into alternative collagen sources, of which marine collagens, in particular from jellyfish, have emerged as a promising resource. This study provides a characterization of the biophysical properties and cell adhesion interactions of collagen derived from the jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo (JCol). Circular dichroism spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to observe the triple-helical conformation and fibrillar morphology of JCol. Heparin-affinity chromatography was also used to demonstrate the ability of JCol to bind to immobilized heparin. Cell adhesion assays using integrin blocking antibodies and HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells revealed that adhesion to JCol is primarily performed via β1 integrins, with the exception of α2β1 integrin. It was also shown that heparan sulfate binding plays a much greater role in fibroblast and mesenchymal stromal cell adhesion to JCol than for type I mammalian collagen (rat tail collagen). Overall, this study highlights the similarities and differences between collagens from mammalian and jellyfish origins, which should be considered when utilizing alternative collagen sources for biomedical research.

The Characterization and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Chondrosia reniformis Collagen Isolated from Different Body Parts (Ectosome and Choanosome) Envisaging the Development of Biomaterials

“…In this sense, the C. reniformis collagen isolation protocol utilized in the present work is clearly advantageous as it preserves collagen triple helix conformation. Additionally, the CD spectra obtained in this study were in agreement with collagen spectra from other marine sponges, cnidarians, and vertebrates [51][52][53]. The amino acid composition of the isolated collagens was mostly similar, the most significant exceptions were OHpro content and the hydroxylation degree, which were higher in the ectosome collagen (Figure 2C).…”

Application of Collagen-Based Hydrogel in Skin Wound Healing

“…Currently, the research of collagen extracted from marine organisms for tissue engineering biomaterials mainly focuses on marine fish, jellyfish, sponges, etc. These aquatic organisms’ skin, muscles, and cartilage tissue are rich in collagen [ 20 , 21 ]. Collagen of marine origin is not only similar to traditional terrestrial mammalian collagen in terms of amino acid composition and biocompatibility, but also has greater advantages than mammalian collagen in terms of vast sources, easy extraction, absence of pathogenic microbial contamination, and stable chemical and physical properties—especially in the fish processing industry and fishing activities [ 22 ].…”

Temperature and pH-sensitive chitosan-collagen hydrogels for antimicrobial and wound healing applications

“…At the moment, marine fish, jellyfish, sponges, and other creatures are the primary subjects of collagen extraction research from marine organisms for tissue engineering biomaterials. Collagen is abundant in the epidermis, muscles, and cartilage tissue of these aquatic creatures (Smith et al, 2023).…”