We outline the applications of multiphoton microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy in characterizing the effects of zero linker1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) as compared to non-zero linker glyceraldehyde on the collagen hydrogels assembled at 37 �C. The glyceraldehyde remodeled heavily the original nano- and microstructures within the samples as detected with transmission electron and multi-photon microscopy respectively. The zero cross-linker EDC had no appreciable effect on the collagen microstructure as detected with multiphoton microscopy, however, the nanostructures, became smaller and more homogeneous in diameters. Upon 24-hour-treatment with glyceraldehyde, the 927 cm-1 C-C stretch of the proline ring detected with Raman spectroscopy for the controls disappeared giving rise to 922 cm-1 and 935 cm-1 peaks instead. The motion of lysine was affected as well. In the EDC-treated samples, the new band at 935 cm-1 also appeared. We conclude that EDC modifies the collagen hydrogels to a lesser extent compared to glyceraldehyde.

Multiscale and multimodality characterization of collagen hydrogels cross-linked with zero vs. non-zero linkers

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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