The advantages of Collagen-Based Biomaterials in Wound Healing

Introductin: Collagen is the most widely distributed class of proteins in the human body. Natural collagen can be formed into highly organized, three-dimensional scaffolds that are intrinsically biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic upon exogenous application, and endowed with high tensile strength and the material of choice for wound healing and tissue engineering applications.Objective: The various applications of collagen-based biomaterials developed for tissue engineering, aimed at providing a functional material for use in regenerative medicine from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside.Result: Multiple cross-linking methods were investigated and different combinations with other biopolymers were explored in order to improve tissue function. The recent use of natural collagen in sponges, injectables, films and membranes, dressings, and skin grafts; and the on- going development of synthetic collagen in wound beds. The fibril-forming collagens have large sections of homologous sequences, and constitute the most commonly used forms of collagen- based biomaterials for wound healing and tissue engineering purposes. As an added advantage, films made from biodegradable materials like telopeptide-free reconstituted collagen demonstrate a slow release of encapsulated drugs. The loaded films afford easy sterilization and become pliable after hydration, without compromise to their mechanical strength.Conclusion: Collagen possesses a major advantage in being biodegradable, biocompatible, easily available and highly versatile. However, since collagen is a protein, it remains difficult to sterilize without alterations to its structure. Collagen by virtue of its ubiquity, low immunogenicity, and ability to be molded into strong, biocompatible scaffolds, meets these criteria and thus plays a leading role in wound care. Collagen is likewise important in a related area of wound care the controlled- release of bioactive molecules.