COLLAGEN AND ITS INTERACTION WITH CHITOSAN .2. INFLUENCE OF THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLAGEN

This work is a continuation of the study of the interactions which can occur when chitosan is in contact with bovine anticollagen. The major result of the first part was that under classical conditions, there e xists a competition between collagen gelation and the formation of a p ure polyanion-polycation complex with chitosan. in the present study, we have attempted to reach the 1:1 stoichiometry by two different meth ods. When collagen is denatured, the polyanion-polycation complex is i mproved, but the theoretical stoichiometry is not achieved. The presen ce of a large excess of chitosan gives rise to a second mechanism of i nteraction. Contrary to the case of the polyanion-polycation interacti on, the latter seems to induce the denaturation of collagen. This beha viour is confirmed by infrared and circular dichroism spectrometries, as well as differential scanning calorimetry.