Novel biomaterial from reinforced salmon collagen gel prepared by fibril formation and cross-linking.

The improvement of the thermal stability of gel prepared from salmon atelocollagen (SC) was studied. The denaturation temperature (Td) of the SC solution was found to be 18.6 degrees C. Neutral buffer including 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC) was mixed with acidic SC solution at 4 degrees C, resulting in the introduction of EDC cross-linking during fibril formation. The mechanical strength and thermal stability of the resultant cross-linked SC fibrillar gels reached maximum values at an EDC concentration of 50 mM (f-50 gel). In particular, the melting temperature of the f-50 gel was 47 degrees C, much higher than that of the EDC cross-linked SC gel without fibril formation at the same EDC concentration. The proliferation rate of human periodontal ligament cells on the f-50 gel was higher than that of a porcine atelocollagen fibrillar gel. These results suggest that the gel employed for biomaterials can be fabricated from low Td fish collagen by EDC cross-linking during fibril formation.