title: Microfluidics-Produced Collagen Fibers Show Extraordinary Mechanical Properties.
abstract: Collagens are widely used as biomaterials in drug-delivery and tissue engineering applications due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility and hypoallergenicity. Besides gelatin-based materials, collagen microfibers are in the focus of biomedical research. Commonly, man-made fibers are produced by wet-spinning yielding fiber diameters higher than 8 μm. Here, assembly and continuous production of single collagen type I microfibers were established using a microfluidic chip. Microfluidics-produced microfibers exhibited tensile strength and Young's modulus exceeding that of fibers produced in classical wet-spinning devices and even that of natural tendon and they showed lower diameters. Their structural orientation was examined by polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showing fibril alignment within the microfiber. Cell culture tests using the neuronal cell line NG108-15 showed cell alignment and axon growth along the microfiber axes inaugurating potential applications in, for example, peripheral nerve repair.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Haynl
authors: Eddie
authors: E
authors: Hofmann
authors: Kiran
authors: K
authors: Pawar
authors: Bayerisches Polymerinstitut (BPI) , Universitätsstraße 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors: Stephan
authors: S
authors: Förster
authors: Bayerisches Polymerinstitut (BPI) , Universitätsstraße 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Scheibel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D044085:Microfluidics; D051381:Rats; D013718:Tensile Strength; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D024042:Collagen Type I
keywords: Collagen; axon growth; biomaterial; mechanical properties; microfiber; microfluidics