title: Extruded collagen fibres for tissue engineering applications: effect of crosslinking method on mechanical and biological properties.
abstract: Reconstituted collagen fibres are promising candidates for tendon and ligament tissue regeneration. The crosslinking procedure determines the fibres' mechanical properties, degradation rate, and cell-fibre interactions. We aimed to compare mechanical and biological properties of collagen fibres resulting from two different types of crosslinking chemistry based on 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC). Fibres were crosslinked with either EDC or with EDC and ethylene-glycol-diglycidyl-ether (EDC/EGDE). Single fibres were mechanically tested to failure and bundles of fibres were seeded with tendon fibroblasts (TFs) and cell attachment and proliferation were determined over 14 days in culture. Collagen type I and tenascin-C production were assessed by immunohistochemistry and dot-blotting. EDC chemistry resulted in fibres with average mechanical properties but the highest cell proliferation rate and matrix protein production. EDC/EGDE chemistry resulted in fibres with improved mechanical properties but with a lower biocompatibility profile. Both chemistries may provide useful structures for scaffolding regeneration of tendon and ligament tissue and will be evaluated for in vivo tendon regeneration in future experiments.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Research Unit, Department of Surgery, Cambridge University, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Rd, CB22QQ Cambridge, UK. davidenea@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Enea
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Henson
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kew
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wardale
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Getgood
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rushton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024022:Fibrillar Collagens / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D024042:Collagen Type I; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D024022:Fibrillar Collagens