Abstract
Collagen plays an important role in the formation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and development/migration of cells and tissues. Here we report the preparation of collagen and collagen hydrogel from the skin of tilapia and an evaluation of their potential as a wound dressing for the treatment of refractory wounds. The acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) were extracted and characterized using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Both ASC and PSC belong to type I collagen and have a complete triple helix structure, but PSC shows lower molecular weight and thermal stability, and has the inherent low antigenicity. Therefore, PSC was selected to prepare biomedical hydrogels using its self-aggregating properties. Rheological characterization showed that the mechanical strength of the hydrogels increased as the PSC content increased. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis indicated that hydrogels could form a regular network structure at a suitable PSC content. Cytotoxicity experiments confirmed that hydrogels with different PSC content showed no significant toxicity to fibroblasts. Skin repair experiments and pathological analysis showed that the collagen hydrogels wound dressing could significantly accelerate the healing of deep second-degree burn wounds and the generation of new skin appendages, which can be used for treatment of various refractory wounds.
Highlights
Various refractory wounds, such as ulcers and burns, seriously influence the work and life quality of patients, and impose a heavy burden on social security [1,2]
The collagen type and complete triple helix structure is the basis for the self-assembly of collagen molecules [17,18], the extracted acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) were characterized using SDS-PAGE, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), circular dichroism (CD), and UV-Vis experiments
FTIR analysis showed that the major peaks between ASC and PSC were similar (Figure 1B and Table 1), and these peaks corresponded to five major amide linkages, respectively, including amide A, amide B, amide I, amide
Summary
Various refractory wounds, such as ulcers and burns, seriously influence the work and life quality of patients, and impose a heavy burden on social security [1,2]. Traditional dry dressing treatments, such as those using absorbent cotton and absorbent gauze, have limited therapeutic effects, and frequent dressing changes can deepen the suffering of patients. The “wet wound healing theory” proposes that the wet healing environment is beneficial to the growth of the granulation and to facilitating the division of the skin cells, thereby promoting the complete healing of the wound [3,4,5,6,7]. Mar. Drugs 2020, 18, 178; doi:10.3390/md18040178 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs.
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