RESUMO
[Objective]Porous collagen type Ⅱ matrices crosslinked by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)carbodⅡmide(EDC) and N-hydroxysucinimide(NHS) were developed as scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering.[Method]Collagen type Ⅱ matrix was crosslinked by EDC/NHS,and then freeze-dried to achieve collagen scaffolds.The porous characteristics of the prepared scaffolds were tested by using diffenent methods,including laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM),scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical testing machine.The chondrocytes labeled by GFP were planted in crosslinked collagen type Ⅱ,and observed by LSCM.[Result](1) The mechanical properties of cross-linked matrices increased significantly,reaching 2.18?0.47MPa.(2)The degradation of cross-linked matrices decreased by 8.28% after 4 hours.The pore size was about 90?m,and their average porosity and water capacity reached 93.39% and 97.78%,respectively.3.Chondrocytes were in good condition in the crosslinked collagen.[Conclusion]The present work indicates that EDC/NHS-crosslinked collagen type Ⅱ could keep the properties and biocompatibility of collagen,besides,the mechanical strength increased and the degradation was decreased.It will be suitable for cartilage tissue engineering purposes.