Fabrication of Collagen Films with Enhanced Mechanical and Enzymatic Stability through Thermal Treatment in Fluorous Media

March 24, 2020

Title

Fabrication of Collagen Films with Enhanced Mechanical and Enzymatic Stability through Thermal Treatment in Fluorous Media

Author

Lan Zhang, Sanjana Gopalakrishnan, Kai Li, Li-sheng Wang, Yong Han, Vincent M. Rotello

Year

2020

Journal

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Abstract

Collagen I (Col-I) is widely used in the fabrication of biomaterials due to its biocompatibility; however, Col-I based biomaterials are susceptible to mechanical failure during handling, which limits their applicability to biomaterials. Chemical or physical treatment can improve the mechanical properties of collagen; however, these processes can create issues of cytotoxicity or denaturation. We report here an alternative strategy to improve the stability and mechanical properties of Col-I while preserving its native structure, through thermal treatment in fluorous media. Thermal treatment of Col-I in fluorous solvent generates compact, stable films with significantly increased mechanical strength. Furthermore, the use of fluorous media significantly reduces the extent of swelling and the rate of proteolytic degradation, but it preserves the high cell biocompatibility.

Instrument

J-815

Keywords

Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Protein denaturation, Chemical stability, Kinetics, Materials, Biochemistry