Biocompatibility of anionic collagen matrix as scaffold for bone healing

The basic approach to the treatment of bone defects involves the use of scaffolds to favor tissue growth. Although several bioscaffolds have been proposed for this purpose, the search for new and enhanced materials continues in an attempt to address the drawbacks of the present ones. Modifying current materials can be a fast and cheap way to develop new ones. Among them, type I collagen allows its structure to be modified using relatively simple techniques. By means of an alkaline treatment, anionic collagen with enhanced piezoelectric properties can be obtained through hydrolysis of carboxyamides groups of asparagine and glutamine residues from collagen in carboxylic. The process applied to a raw source of collagen, bovine pericardium, provided a sponge-like structure, with heterogeneous pore size, and, moreover, the complete removal of interstitial cells. For the evaluation of the biocompatibility of such matrices, they were implanted in surgically created bone defects in rat tibias. Empty defects served as controls. This experimental model allowed a preliminary evaluation of the osteoconductiveness of the matrices. The histological results presented a low inflammatory response and bone formation within a short period of Lime, similar to that of controls. The low cost of production associated to the biocompatibility and osteoconductivity performance make the anionic collagen matrices promising alternatives for bone defects treatment. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.