Extraction and Characterization of Collagen from the Skin of Arothron stellatus Fish-A Novel Source of Collagen for Tissue Engineering

Collagen is the abundant protein found in the skin of the animal body that is widely used for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. Acid solubilised collagen (ASC) was successfully extracted from the fish skin of the Arothron stellatus. The ASC extracted from Arothron stellatus showed a yield of 80 percent (dry weight). The ASC comprising of different a chain were characterized as a type Iby SDS-PAGE analysis. The same was further characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Amino acid analysis, Tensile strength and Water absorption studies. In-vitro cell line studies using NIH 3T3 fibroblasts showed that ASC possess distinct biocompatibility. Overall the physical, chemical and biological properties suggest that Arothron stellatus fish skin has potential as an alternative source of collagen for use in various tissue engineering applications.