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Preparation of ready-to-use, storable and reconstituted type I collagen from rat tail tendon for tissue engineering applications

Nature Protocols volume 1, pages 2753–2758 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Collagen is a widely investigated extracellular matrix material with extensive potentials in the field of tissue engineering. This protocol describes a method to prepare reconstituted collagen that can be ready-to-use, storable and suitable for further in vitro and in vivo investigations. Type I collagen was extracted from rat tail tendons and processed in acetic acid solution to obtain sterile soluble collagen. At first, crude collagen was dissolved in acetic acid, then frozen at −20 °C and lyophilized to obtain a sponge, which could be stored at −80 °C. Lyophilized collagen was then dispersed in acetic acid to obtain a sterile solution of collagen at targeted concentrations. The whole low-cost process from the extraction to the final sterile solution takes around 2–3 weeks. The collagen solution, once neutralized, has the potential to be used to produce gels or scaffolds, to deposit thin films on supports and to develop drug delivery systems.

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Figure 1: Sequential images of the procedure to remove the skin and retrieve collagen fiber from a rat tail tendon.
Figure 2

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Research and the Quebec City University Hospital Research Center.

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Author notes

  1. Charles J Doillon and Diego Mantovani: Contributed equally to the development of this research.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Laval University and University Hospital Research Center, Quebec City, G1K 7P4, Quebec, Canada

    Navneeta Rajan, Jason Habermehl, Marie-France Coté & Diego Mantovani

  2. Oncology and Molecular Endocrinology Research Center, CHUL's Research Center, CHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, G1K 7P4, Canada

    Charles J Doillon

  3. Department of Surgery, Laval University, Quebec City, G1K 7P4, Quebec, Canada

    Charles J Doillon

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  1. Navneeta Rajan
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Correspondence to Charles J Doillon or Diego Mantovani.

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Rajan, N., Habermehl, J., Coté, MF. et al. Preparation of ready-to-use, storable and reconstituted type I collagen from rat tail tendon for tissue engineering applications. Nat Protoc 1, 2753–2758 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2006.430

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