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Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Engineering 3D Cellularized Collagen Gels for Vascular Tissue Regeneration
Published on: June 16, 2015
Species-Based Differences in Mechanical Properties, Cytocompatibility, and Printability of Methacrylated Collagen
Sarah M Ali1, Nashaita Y Patrawalla1, Nilabh S Kajave1
1Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida32901, United States.
Abstract:
Collagen methacrylation is a promising approach to generate photo-cross-linkable cell-laden hydrogels with improved mechanical properties. However, the impact of species-based variations in amino acid composition and collagen isolation method on methacrylation degree (MD) and its subsequent effects on the physical properties of methacrylated collagen (CMA) hydrogels and cell response are unknown. Herein, we compared the effects of three collagen species (bovine, human, and rat), two collagen extraction methods (pepsin digestion and acid extraction), and two photoinitiators (lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) and Irgacure-2959 (I-2959)) on the physical properties of CMA hydrogels, printability and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) response. Human collagen showed the highest MD. LAP was more cytocompatible than I-2959. The compressive modulus and cell viability of rat CMA were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than bovine CMA. Human CMA yielded constructs with superior print fidelity. Together, these results suggest that careful selection of collagen source and cross-linking conditions is essential for biomimetic design of CMA hydrogels for tissue engineering applications.
