Mechanism of crosslinking of proteins by glutaraldehyde. IV: In vitro and in vivo stability of a crosslinked collagen matrix.

The use of native or reconstituted collagen as a bioprothesis for tissue augmentation requires the introduction of exogenous synthetic crosslinks. The degree of crosslinking determines the rate of resorption or replacement of the implanted materials by the host. Since biophysical and chemical methods to quantify these crosslinks have in general been difficult to evaluate, we have developed in vitro enzymatic approaches which enable us to correlate the degree of crosslinking with the rates of enzymatic degradation. When the number of stable crosslinks formed is large it is essential to partially unfold the collagen fibrils by heating or by exposure to denaturing agents to enhance their susceptibility to hydrolysis. In the present study we demonstrate that increasing the number of reactive amino groups on collagen by coupling 1,6-diaminohexane to carboxyl groups using a water soluble carbodiimide can significantly enhance the number of crosslinks introduced by glutaraldehyde. We also show that the enzymatic method developed correlates well with the biodegradation of radiolabeled crosslinked collagenous tissues implanted subcutaneously in rats.