The influence of cross-linking method and disinfection / sterilisation treatment on the structural, biophysical, biochemical and biological properties of collagen-based devices

Disinfection / sterilisation is an essential step during the manufacturing process of any implantable medical device. Cross-linking is also required for biopolymers to control resistance to degradation and enhance mechanical integrity. To-date, there is still no single disinfection / sterilisation treatment and cross-linking method that can be used universally for collagen-based devices. Herein, we assessed the influence of ethylene oxide, ethanol, gamma irradiation and gas plasma disinfection / sterilisation on the structural, biophysical, biochemical and biological properties of self-assembled collagen films cross-linked with 4-arms polyethylene glycol succinimidyl glutarate and genipin. Microscopy analysis revealed that gas plasma treatment induced the most profound differences in the non-cross-linked and 4-arms polyethylene glycol succinimidyl glutarate cross-linked collagen films. Gas plasma also significantly increased the swelling ratio of the non-cross-linked and the 4-arms polyethylene glycol suc...