Collagen and collagen/hyaluronan complex modifications

Chemical analogues of extracellular matrix are mainly graft copolymers of c ollagen and glycosaminoglycans. The new complex matrix based on collagen an d hyaluronan was used to develop a synthetic derma. The chemical treatment with hexamethylene diisocyanate with poly(oxyethylene glycol) resp. with po ly(oxypropylene glycol) was chosen for improving mechanical properties. The study of mechanical properties, enzymatic degradation, and cytotoxicity af ter chemical treatment was first performed with pure collagen membranes and subsequently optimized to the complex membrane of collagen with hyaluronan . We suppose that the combination of excellent biological properties of bot h the polymers with lower enzymatic degradation and decreasing swelling aft er chemical modification can result in a valuable biomaterial for several m edical applications.