AN INVITRO CYTO-TOXICITY STUDY OF ALDEHYDE-TREATED PIG DERMAL COLLAGEN

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 64  (2) , 172-176
Abstract
The cytotoxicity of aldehyde-treated collagen was assayed by measuring 3H-thymidine incorporation in adult human skin fibroblasts grown in tissue culture for 1 or 3 days in the presence of pig dermal collagen cross-linked with formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde. A comparison was also made with collagen preparations washed for 2 wk at 15.degree. C throughout or partly at 15.degree. C and partly at 37.degree. C. Collagen treated with formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde proved increasingly toxic with increase in the concentrations of aldehyde used. While the maximum toxic effect was observed after 1 day culture in formaldehyde-treated collagen, with thymidine uptake ranging from 4-48% of control values with 5-0.1% formaldehyde and a 15.degree. C wash, the toxic effect of glutaraldehyde treatment increased with longer exposure and at 3 days thymidine uptake ranged from 3-40% of control values with 0.05-0.001% glutaraldehyde and washing a 15.degree. C. Washing partly at 37.degree. C significantly reduced toxicity, the differences in thymide uptake as compared with washing at 15.degree. C alone ranging from 34-50% with 1 and 0.3% formaldehyde, respectively, in 1 day cultures and from 14-37% with 0.02 and 0.005% glutaraldehyde in 3 day cultures. While fibroblasts actively grew and migrated when seeded on noncross-linked collagen, only limited cell survival occurred on aldehyde-treated collagen.