Effect of Mechanical Microenvironment on Collagen Self-Assembly In Vitro

Abstract

Collagen, as a structural protein, is widely distributed in the human body. Many factors influence collagen self-assembly in vitro, including physical-chemical conditions and mechanical microenvironment, and play a key role in driving the structure and arrangement. However, the exact mechanism is unknown. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the changes in the structure and morphology of collagen self-assembly in vitro under mechanical microenvironment, as well as the critical role of hyaluronic acid in this process. Using bovine type I collagen as the research object, collagen solution is loaded into tensile and stress-strain gradient devices. The morphology and distribution of collagen is observed using an atomic force microscope while changing the concentration of collagen solution, mechanical loading strength, tensile speed, and ratio of collagen to hyaluronic acid. The results demonstrate that the mechanics field governs collagen fibers and changes their orientation. Stress magnifies the differences in results caused by different stress concentrations and sizes, and hyaluronic acid improves collagen fiber orientation. This research is critical for expanding the use of collagen-based biomaterials in tissue engineering.

Covalent Immobilization of Collagen Type I to a Polydimethylsiloxane Surface for Preventing Cell Detachment by Retaining Collagen Molecules under Uniaxial Cyclic Mechanical Stretching Stress

“…As for the stretching-induced increase in the collagen density of 1.0Col-stPDMS (Figure ), a recent report could possibly provide insights into the increase. The report demonstrates that the external mechanical stress promotes assembling of collagen molecules into a fiber structure on the PDMS surface . We speculate that, from the report, such fibrous collagen might be actively deposited on the stPDMS surface in the same manner, although we understand that further analysis would be necessary for elucidating the speculation.…”

“…The report demonstrates that the external mechanical stress promotes assembling of collagen molecules into a fiber structure on the PDMS surface. 41 We speculate that, from the report, such fibrous collagen might be actively deposited on the stPDMS surface in the same manner, although we understand that further analysis would be necessary for elucidating the speculation. In addition, the collagen retention rate was calculated based on Figure 2 (Table S1).…”

Synthesis, Physicochemical Characteristics, and Biocompatibility of Multi-Component Collagen-Based Hydrogels Developed by E-Beam Irradiation

“…Among the natural polymers, collagen and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) are increasingly used in classical chemical synthesis for the development of hydrogels intended for DDS applications or as dressings for a rapid wound healing process. Collagen is a biodegradable and biocompatible protein produced by fibroblasts, which is found in the connective tissue and is similar to human skin from a compositional and structural point of view [ 7 ]. Besides the fact that it provides structural support, it has a role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration, in absorbing the exudate and accelerating the natural wound-healing process [ 8 ].…”