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Assessment of the biocompatibility and stability of a gold nanoparticle collagen bioscaffold
Author(s) -
Grant Sheila A.,
Spradling Claire S.,
Grant Daniel N.,
Fox Derek B.,
Jimenez Luis,
Grant David A.,
Rone Rebecca J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.34698
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , materials science , collagenase , tissue engineering , colloidal gold , biophysics , nanoparticle , biomedical engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , biochemistry , medicine , enzyme , metallurgy , biology
Collagen has been utilized as a scaffold for tissue engineering applications due to its many advantageous properties. However, collagen in its purified state is mechanically weak and prone to rapid degradation. To mitigate these effects, collagen can be crosslinked. Although enhanced mechanical properties and stability can be achieved by crosslinking, collagen can be rendered less biocompatible either due to changes in the overall microstructure or due to the cytotoxicity of the crosslinkers. We have investigated crosslinking collagen using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to enhance mechanical properties and resistance to degradation while also maintaining its natural microstructure and biocompatibility. Rat tail type I collagen was crosslinked with AuNPs using a zero‐length crosslinker, 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). Several characterization studies were performed including electron microscopy, collagenase assays, ROS assays, and biocompatibility assays. The results demonstrated that AuNP‐collagen scaffolds had increased resistance to degradation as compared to non‐AuNP‐collagen while still maintaining an open microstructure. Although the biocompatibility assays showed that the collagen and AuNP‐collagen scaffolds are biocompatible, the AuNP‐collagen demonstrated enhanced cellularity and glycoaminoglycans (GAG) production over the collagen scaffolds. Additionally, the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) assays indicated the ability of the AuNP‐collagen to reduce oxidation. Overall, the AuNP‐collagen scaffolds demonstrated enhanced biocompatibility and stability over non‐AuNP scaffolds. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 332–339, 2014.