Approaches to improving the mechanical properties of collagen biomaterials

TUTTOLOMONDO, M. V.; FOGLIA, M. L.; GALDOPÓRPORA J. M.; DESIMONE M. F.

Advances in Physicochemical Properties of Biopolymers

Bentham

Año: 2016;

Collagen is a natural constituent of the extracellular matrix of tissues. It iswell known that, when prepared without additives, diluted collagen hydrogels present poor mechanical properties limiting their use in tissue engineering. Hence, collagen´s structural properties need to be enhanced. For this purpose, this chapter presents an overview of the recent advances and alternatives developed to improve the mechanical properties of collagen biomaterials.