Cross-linking chemistry of type I and type III collagen with anionic polysaccharides

The present study describes cross-linking chemistry of Type I and Type III collagen with anionic polysaccharides (alginic acid), followed by characterization of the resultant cross-linked material for, degree of cross-linking, thermal, and mechanical stability. Required concentration of alginic acid (AA) and collagen (Type I and Type III) was optimized. Results reveal, irrespective of the nature of collagen, 75% degree of cross-linking was observed with AA at 1.5% concentration (w/v). Cross-linking with AA increases the mechanical strength and thermal stability of both Type I and Type III collagen. About 5-6-fold increase in tensile strength compared to plain collagen was observed upon cross-linking with AA. The nature of bonding pattern and the reason for thermal stability of AA cross-linked collagen biopolymer was discussed in detail with the help of bioinformatics.