Effects of carbodiimide crosslinking conditions on the physical properties of laminated intestinal submucosa.

Functional tissue engineering of load-bearing repair tissues requires the design and production of biomaterials that provide a remodelable scaffold for host infiltration and tissue regeneration while maintaining the repair function throughout the remodeling process. Layered constructs have been fabricated from chemically and mechanically cleaned porcine intestinal collagen using ethyl-3(3-dimethylamino) propyl carbodiimide (EDC) and an acetone solvent. By varying the concentration of the crosslinker from 1 to 10 mM and the solvent from 0 to 90% acetone, the strength, stiffness, maximum strain, thermal stability, lamination strength, and suture retention strength can be adjusted. These parameters have either functional importance or the potential to modify the remodeling kinetics, or they have both. This study investigates the interdependence of these parameters, the specific effects that variations in concentration can achieve, and how the two crosslinking variables interact. The results demonstrate that there is substantial latitude in the design of these constructs by these straightforward crosslinking modifications. These data provide the basis for studying the in vivo response to crosslinking conditions that will supply the requisite strength while still allowing host cell infiltration and remodeling.