Collagen functionalized with unsaturated cyclic anhydrides-interactions in solution and solid state.

Maleic anhydride (CMA) and itaconic anhydride modified collagen (CITA) were prepared as precursors for production of interpenetrated polymer networks (IPN). Calculated values for Huggins coefficient in aqueous diluted and semi-diluted solutions of modified collagen indicated a slightly tendency of aggregation for itaconic anhydride-modified collagen. In semi-diluted solution collagen (Coll) and CMA present slightly differences in the thixotropic behavior, while CITA has a pronounced thixotropic behavior. Flow and oscillatory measurements revealed an elastic behavior of the collagen solutions, pure and modified with MA or ITA, as the storage modulus (G') has always a superior value compared with the loss modulus (G″). The denaturation temperature (Td) of unmodified collagen increased from 34°C to 40°C for CMA and to 39°C for CITA respectively, by formation of covalent bonds that stabilize the triple helix.

In vitro evaluation of biomimetic chitosan-calcium phosphate scaffolds with potential application in bone tissue engineering.

This work reports on the physicochemical properties and in vitro cytotoxicity assessment of chitosan-calcium phosphate (Cs-CP) scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, which were synthesized by a novel biomimetic co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed the porous morphology of the scaffolds and the amorphous nature of the inorganic phase with different crystallite sizes and the formation of various forms of calcium phosphate. Compressive mechanical testing revealed that the Young's modulus of the biomaterials is in the range of human trabecular bone. In vitro tests were performed on the biomaterials for up to 14 days to study the behavior of the osteoblast-like human cell line (MG63), primary human osteoblasts (HOS) and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC). The cytotoxicity was evaluated by the MTS assay for cell metabolism and the detection of membrane integrity (lactate dehydrogenase-LDH release). An expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the cell supernatants was quantified by ELISA. Cell viability gave values close to untreated controls for MG63 and HOS, while in the case of HDMEC the viability after 2 weeks in the cell culture was between 80-90%. The cytotoxicity induced by the Cs-CP scaffolds on MG63, HOS and HDMEC in vitro was evaluated by the amount of LDH released, which is a sensitive and accurate marker for cellular toxicity. The increased levels of VEGF obtained in the osteoblast culture highlights its important role in the regulation of vascularization and bone remodeling. The biological responses of the Cs-CP scaffolds demonstrate a similar proliferation and differentiation characteristics of the cells comparable to the controls. These results reveal that biomimetic Cs-CP composite scaffolds are promising biomaterials for bone tissue engineering; their in vivo response remains to be tested.