Abstract

New graft copolymers of methyl methacrylate with cod collagen were derived with Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) enhancement. The author studied the copolymer’s composition, molecular weight characteristics, morphological properties, and cytotoxicity, these indicating the successful grafting of synthetic fragments onto the collagen. It was demonstrated that the curves of the copolymer’s Molecular Weight Distribution (MWD) were shifted towards the area of high Molecular Weights (MW), whereas the values of its molecular weight increased relative to the original collagen. At that, the nitrogen content-nitrogen was originally present only in the collagen-was noticeably lower in the copolymer compared to that in pure collagen. A new, structurally-textured organization of the copolymer was demonstrated by comparison of sample sponges of the copolymer’s with the original collagen, using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Water-diluted copolymer solutions (~1-2%) showed no cytotoxicity. The results indicate the promising character of this approach for the development of new materials based on graft copolymers of Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) with Cod Collagen (CC) for use in coatings for medical wound healing and in scaffolds.

Keywords:Cod collagen; Methyl methacrylate; AIBN; Graft copolymer; Cytotoxicity; Regenerative medicine

Abbreviations:MWD: Molecular Weight Distribution; MW: Molecular Weights; SEM: Scanning Electron Microscopy; CC: Cod Collagen; GPC: Gel Permeation Chromatography; MM: Molecular Mass; HDFs: Human Dermal Fibroblasts; DMSO: Dimethyl Sulfoxide