The swelling of single collagen fibre-bundles

Abstract

KAYE AND JORDAN-LLOYD [1924] in an investigation of the swelling of fibrous tissue showed that single teased-out collagen fibres altered in length and breadth when treated in solutions of acids and alkalis. In that work single fibrebundles were obtained and the length and breadth were determined under the microscope by means of an eyepiece micrometer. The fibre-bundles were then treated with various reagents and the fibre-bundle re-measured. This method of observation is, however, extremely tedious and it is complicated by the great difficulty of measuring the breadth of the fibre-bundle, since this can vary to a very marked degree along the length of the bundle. This trouble becomes almost insurmountable when the fibre-bundles are swollen in acid solution, since there is a large amount of distortion and any attempt to express the results numerically leads to large errors.It was also shown that the swelling of hides and skins in the various liquors was dependent on the degree to which the hide fibres had been freed from each other. Thus the increase in volume of hide powder was of the same order as that of gelatin, while in the cases of pieces of hide and skin the percentage increase, although running parallel with that of hide powder, was very much smaller. The obvious difference between hide, as such, and hide powder is that in the former the individual fibres are not free to contract along their length nor are they free to increase in width since they are more or less closely interwoven. Thus the results obtained with loose fibre-bundles are not truly comparable with the effect produced on pieces of skin.It was therefore decided to endeavour to follow more accurately the effect of various solutions on single collagen fibre-bundles which were lightly held by their ends so that the effects observed would be more comparable with those taking place in the fibres when hides and skins are treated with different reagents. The first experiments were directed towards following the swelling of the fibres in acid liquors of known PH value.

E-Spun Composite Fibers of Collagen and Dragline Silk Protein: Fiber Mechanics, Biocompatibility, and Application in Stem Cell Differentiation

“…When the water uptake becomes excessive (after 7 days), it disturbs the hydrogen-bonding network within a fiber. Consequently, the dense molecular packing within a fiber collapses, leading to a looser fiber characterized by a significantly increased cross-sectional area 65 and a distorted fiber morphology. Silk protein is more hydrophobic and takes up much less water than collagen.…”

Preparation and characterization of injectable fibrillar type I collagen and evaluation for pseudoaneurysm treatment in a pig model

“…With fibrillar type I collagen as an injectable, the consistency of the material is important. Collagen swells at low pH, 36 making it possible to prepare a suspension or paste which can be injected. When the pH of the collagen suspension was increased to a physiological range (pH 7.4), the collagen fibrils formed a dense network.…”

Biomaterials for spinal cord repair

“…The highlytunable mechanical properties [27,28] and swelling of fibers [28] allow collagen to form a hydrogel. Collagen signals its biological actions through α1β1 (monomers) and α2β1 (fibrils) integrins [29] as well as discoidin domain receptors and glycoprotein Vi [30] .…”