title: The effect of glycosaminoglycans on the in vitro fibril formation of collagen type I and type III.
abstract: The effect of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) on the in vitro collagen fibril formation of type I and type III collagen extracted from rat skin was studied by measuring the optical absorbancy change of collagen-GAG solution during the fibrillary precipitation and following the electronmicroscopic structure of collagen fibrils. The main difference between type I and type III collagen was found in the kinetic of fibrillary precipitation mainly during the logarithmic growth ("log") period of fibril formation. Chondroitin sulphate-A (CSA) shortened this phase and affected especially type III collagen which has a longer "log" period. No difference was found in the electronmicroscopic structure of collagen fibrils. The supposed biological significance of the results is briefly discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002807:Chondroitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006321:Heart; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051381:Rats; D012867:Skin; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin; D002807:Chondroitin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D003094:Collagen