Effects of incubation time on in vitro self-assembly of type I collagen molecules

The effects of incubation time on the in vitro self-assembly and fibrillogenesis of type I collagen fibers during fiber extrusion and incubation is studied. Preliminary results show that extending the incubation time of the collagen fibers during co-extrusion increases the ultimate tensile strength and the stiffness of self-assembled collagen fibers. A large decrease in hydrated diameters is observed between fibers that undergo two standard 24 hour incubation cycles and those that undergo a one week incubation cycle. Thus, increasing the incubation times enhance the mechanical properties of the fibers by increasing fibril diameters and creating more extensive lateral interactions.