Collagen sponge: Theory and practice of medical applications

Abstract

Theoretical as well as practical-clinical applications of one form of collagen (collagen sponge) as a biodegradable material is reviewed. The role of porosity of the sponge and surface characteristics of the meshwork in relation to cell ingrowth are considered essential features of collagen sponge. Rate of resorption and antigenicity could be controlled by graded crosslinking of collagenous framework. Four basic examples of clinical use of collagen sponge are presented: as wound (burn) dressing material, as a matrix, for bone and cartilage repair, as an intravaginal contraceptive diaphragm, and as surgical tampons.

Cell colonization in degradable 3D porous matrices

“…28 One way to overcome the heterogeneity in natural matrices uses polymers to fabricate degradable 3D porous matrices. Scaffolds generated from natural polymers such as alginates, [29][30][31] chitosan, [32][33][34][35][36][37][38] collagen, 39 GAGs and elastin, [40][41][42][43] gelatin [44][45][46] and fibrin [47][48][49] have also been used as scaffolding materials. [50][51][52] A commonly used system is collagen/GAGs; 53,54 collagen/GAG based skin equivalents are already in clinical use 41,42 and under investigation for other applications such as heart valves, vascular grafts [55][56][57][58][59][60] and vascular networks.…”

The effect of pore size on cell adhesion in collagen-GAG scaffolds

“…The scaffold pore structure has been observed to significantly affect cell binding and migration in vitro and influence the rate and depth of cellular ingrowth into the scaffold in vitro and in vivo [7,8]. Additionally, cell adhesion and activity has been observed to vary considerably depending on the cell type, as well as the scaffolds composition and pore size [9][10][11]. In porous silicon nitride scaffolds, endothelial cells bind only to pores smaller than 80 µm while fibroblasts preferentially bind to larger pores (>90 µm).…”

Influence of freezing rate on pore structure in freeze-dried collagen-GAG scaffolds

“…The optimal scaffold pore size that allows maximal entry of cells [2] as well as cell adhesion and matrix deposition has been shown to vary with different cell types [3,4]. Scaffold pore size has been observed to influence adhesion, growth, and phenotype of a wide variety of cell types, notably endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, osteoblasts, rat * Manuscript marrow cells, chondrocytes, preadipocytes, and adipocytes [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”