Mimicking the Hierarchical Organization of Natural Collagen: Toward the Development of Ideal Scaffolding Material for Tissue Regeneration.

ABSTRACT: Biological materials found in living organisms, many of which are proteins, feature a complex hierarchical organization. Type I collagen, a fibrous structural protein ubiquitous in the mammalian body, provides a striking example of such a hierarchical material, with peculiar architectural features ranging from the amino acid sequence at the nanoscale (primary structure) up to the assembly of fibrils (quaternary structure) and fibers, with lengths of the order of microns. Collagen plays a dominant role in maintaining the biological and structural integrity of various tissues and organs, such as bone, skin, tendons, blood vessels, and cartilage. Thus, "artificial" collagen-based fibrous assemblies, endowed with appropriate structural properties, represent ideal substrates for the development

SUBMITTER: Salvatore L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8112590 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature