Collagen‐based biomaterials for biomedical applications

Abstract

Collagen is an insoluble fibrous protein that composes the extracellular matrix in animals. Although collagen has been used as a biomaterial since 1881, the properties and the complex structure of collagen are still extensive study subjects worldwide. In this article, several topics of importance for understanding collagen research are reviewed starting from its historical milestones, followed by the description of the collagen superfamily and its complex structures, with a focus on type I collagen. Subsequently, some of the superior properties of collagen‐based biomaterials, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical properties, and cell activities, are pinpointed. These properties make collagen applicable in biomedicine, such as wound healing, tissue engineering, surface coating of medical devices, and skin supplementation. Moreover, some antimicrobial strategies and the general host tissue responses regarding collagen as a biomaterial are presented. Finally, the current status and clinical application of the three‐dimensional (3D) printing techniques for the fabrication of collagen‐based scaffolds and the reconstruction of the human heart's constituents, such as capillary structures or even the entire organ, are discussed. Besides, an overall outlook for the future of this unique biomaterial is provided.

The Influence of the Structure of Selected Polymers on Their Properties and Food-Related Applications

“…Collagen and its derivatives such as gelatine or collagen peptides have found numerous uses in the food, biomedical, beauty products, and nutraceutical industries [ 96 , 97 , 98 ]. This section focuses on food applications and is limited to the enhancement of food products, omitting the very broad area of nutraceuticals and their health benefits.…”

Amine-Rich Coatings to Potentially Promote Cell Adhesion, Proliferation and Differentiation, and Reduce Microbial Colonization: Strategies for Generation and Characterization

“…Proteins are widely available and certain proteins such as fibronectin or collagen are present in the human body. Collagen and fibronectin are well known to have binding sites for cells and have been extremely widely employed as biomaterial [37,38]. However, they are expensive proteins, and therefore, whey protein could constitute an alternative due to its low cost: WPI preparations, such as BiPro from Davisco Inc. and used in previous studies [39], typically cost tens of US dollars per kg, while collagen preparations used to coat biomaterial surfaces, such as those from Sigma Aldrich and BD Biosciences [40,41], would typically cost hundreds of US dollars per g. Due to a high surface/volume ratio, fibrillar structures are interesting candidates to coat materials since this increases the adherence at the surface.…”

“…Collagens provide structural support to tissue, and they mediate adhesion, migration, and proliferation of cells. Collagen type I is a popular biomaterial for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to its abundance in the human body and its functions as a scaffold material, as well as its relatively low cost compared with other proteins [37,73,74]. Collagen consists of a triple helix (tropocollagen molecule), formed by three polypeptide chains that can self-assemble in different networks such as fibrils or fibers [72].…”

Preparation of mesh-like collagen scaffolds for tissue engineering

“…Collagen-based biomaterials have been widely used to prepare porous scaffolds for tissue engineering because they are the most abundant structural proteins in vertebrates and play important roles in controlling cell functions such as cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. 1–3 Collagen porous scaffolds have been applied for tissue engineering of cartilage, meniscus, bone, ligament, nerve, skin, and related structures. 4–6 Collagen can be used alone or in combination with other biomaterials, such as synthetic polymers, ceramics and other extracellular matrix components.…”