Effect of aldehyde cross-linking on human dermal collagen implants in the rat.
The fate of s.c. implants of fibrous, trypsin-purified human dermal collagen and collagen cross-linked with formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde has been studied in rats. Dermal collagen, and untreated skin implants, underwent resorption associated with a pronounced round-cell reaction. While collagen implants cross-linked with solutions of 0.04% and 0.08% formaldehyde became reduced in size, those cross-linked with 1% formaldehyde and 0.01%, 0.02% and 0.04% glutaraldehyde, although undergoing some collagen remodelling, retained their original size over the 25-week period of study. At 5 weeks the aldehyde cross-linked implants showed their greatest cellularity, reaching a lower, more stable cell population by 18 weeks. More round cells were seen at 5 weeks, particularly after formaldehyde cross-linking, than a later times when few were present. The results indicate that aldehyde-stabilized preparations of heterograft dermal collagen could have applications in the repair of tissue defects in man.
D000447:Aldehydes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D003094:Collagen; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005976:Glutaral / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012867:Skin / Q000032:analysis; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D000447:Aldehydes; D005557:Formaldehyde; D003094:Collagen; D005976:Glutaral