Bioartificial materials based on collagen: 1. Collagen cross-linking with gaseous glutaraldehyde.

The effect of exposure time of thin films of soluble collagen to glutaraldehyde (GTA) vapour was studied at 37 degrees C, and was evaluated by examining the thermal and biological stability and the swelling ratio. It was found that the collagen films treated with GTA vapour for 18 h showed the highest denaturation temperature, the lowest swelling ratio, and an enhanced proteolytic stability. This study shows that soluble collagen can be effectively cross-linked with GTA vapour and that the degree of cross-linking can be controlled by varying the exposure time.