title: Thermal damage to skin collagen.
abstract: The effect of temperature upon the solubility of frozen skin collagen in vitro and its susceptibility to digestion by proteolytic enzymes has been studied. Both of these parameters are increased with temperature. Above 52 degrees C there is a sudden increase in both the solubility of collagen and its susceptibility to digestion, suggesting that this temperature is associated with changes in the structure of the skin collagen. This increase in susceptibility to digestion may have an influence upon the nature of the healing process in the burn wound.
authors.affiliation: Laing Laboratory for Burn Injury Investigation, Odstock Hospital, Salisbury, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hambleton
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Shakespeare
mesh_terms: D002056:Burns / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D004063:Digestion / Q000502:physiology; D005629:Frozen Sections; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen