title: In vitro collagen fibril alignment via incorporation of nanocrystalline cellulose.
abstract: This study demonstrates a method for producing ordered collagen fibrils on a similar length scale to those in the cornea, using a one-pot liquid-phase synthesis. The alignment persists throughout samples on the mm scale. The addition of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), a biocompatible and widely available material, to collagen prior to gelation causes the fibrils to align and achieve a narrow size distribution (36±8nm). The effects of NCC loading in the composites on microstructure, transparency and biocompatibility are studied by scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and cell growth experiments. A 2% loading of NCC increases the transparency of collagen while producing an ordered microstructure. A mechanism is proposed for the ordering behavior on the basis of enhanced hydrogen bonding during collagen gel formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Rudisill
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: DiVito
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: hubel001@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hubel
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: a-stein@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002482:Cellulose; D003094:Collagen
keywords: Artificial cornea; Collagen; Fibrillogenesis; Nanocomposite; Nanocrystalline cellulose