Mechanical characterization of rose bengal and green light crosslinked collagen scaffolds for regenerative medicine

Abstract

Collagen is one of the most important biomaterials for tissue engineering approaches. Despite its excellent biocompatibility, it shows the non-negligible disadvantage of poor mechanical stability. Photochemical crosslinking with rose bengal and green light (RGX) is an appropriate method to improve this property. The development of collagen laminates is helpful for further adjustment of the mechanical properties as well as the controlled release of incorporated substances. In this study, we investigate the impact of crosslinking and layering of two different collagen scaffolds on the swelling behavior and mechanical behavior in micro tensile tests to obtain information on its wearing comfort (stiffness, strength and ductility). The mechanical stability of the collagen material after degradation due to cell contact is examined using thickness measurements. There is no linear increase or decrease due to layering homologous laminates. Unexpectedly, a decrease in elongation at break, Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength are measured when the untreated monolayer is compared to the crosslinked one. Furthermore, we can detect a connection between stability and cell proliferation. The results show that with variation in number and type of layers, collagen scaffolds with tailored mechanical properties can be produced. Such a multi-layered structure enables the release of biomolecules into inner or outer layers for biomedical applications.

pH-Dependent Release of Vancomycin from Modularly Assembled Collagen Laminates

“…The swelling degree of the collagen laminates and the single RGX-modified collagen sheets was determined by a method reported previously by Eckes et al and Braun et al [ 15 , 17 ]. In brief, the collagen samples were prepared, as described in Section 2.1 .…”

“…Furthermore, it can stimulate bone recovery by promoting the proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells [ 13 , 14 ]. In previous studies, we assembled commercially available collagen sheets to collagen laminates by the photochemical crosslinking with rose bengal (RB) and green light (RGX) [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This convenient and inexpensive method has already been used for different clinical applications [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Synthesis, characterization and thermal studies of NIR fluorescent probe based on Poly(anthranilicacid)/Sand nanocomposite

“…RB is a hydrophilic xanthene dye that has functional groups like -OH and -CO2H. RB is often used in the medical field [26]. Kurosu et al reported on the antibacterial therapeutic activity of RB dye [27].…”