Polysaccharides collagen

As building blocks polysaccharides, collagen, PAAc, PVA, PEG, and others can be used. 

Proteins, the main constituents of the animals body, are polypeptides, biopolymers consisting of many amino acid molecules (the monomers) combined together (see Chapter 11) collagen, for example, the main component of animal skin, is a complex protein consisting of many molecules of amino acids combined together into polypeptide chains (see Fig. 71). Polysaccharides, the essential constituents of plants, also consist of many monosaccharide molecules combined together. Cellulose, the most abundant biological material on earth, which makes up most of the structural... 

Abstract Synthetic polymers and biopolymers are extensively used within the field of tissue engineering. Some common examples of these materials include polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, collagen, elastin, and various forms of polysaccharides. In terms of application, these materials are primarily used in the construction of scaffolds that aid in the local delivery of cells and growth factors, and in many cases fulfill a mechanical role in supporting physiologic loads that would otherwise be supported by a healthy tissue. In this review we will examine the development of scaffolds derived from biopolymers and their use with various cell types in the context of tissue engineering the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. 

Ti values may occur with such native biopolymers as ribonuclease A, deoxyribonucleic acid, and collagen, whose molecular motions are restricted, but, as yet, high values have not been observed for polysaccharides in solution, or for gels, in which these motional-restriction effects may be equivalent, or less marked. However, an extensive relaxation-study by Levy and coworkers68 on poly(n-alkyl methacrylates) may serve as a model for future experiments on polysaccharides, as this type of molecule has a main chain and side chains, albeit more mobile than those in polysaccharides. 

Cellulose microfibrils make up the basic framework of the primary wall of young plant cells (3), where they form a complex network with other polysaccharides. The linking polysaccharides include hemicellulose, which is a mixture of predominantly neutral heterogly-cans (xylans, xyloglucans, arabinogalactans, etc.). Hemicellulose associates with the cellulose fibrils via noncovalent interactions. These complexes are connected by neutral and acidic pectins, which typically contain galac-turonic acid. Finally, a collagen-related protein, extensin, is also involved in the formation of primary walls. 

Finally, collagen can form a variety of collagen composites with other water-soluble materials. Ions, peptides, proteins, and polysaccharides can all be uniformly incorporated into a collagen matrix. The methods of composite formation include ionic and covalent bonding, entrapment, entanglement, and co-precipitation. A two-phase composite can be formed between collagen, ceramics, and synthetic polymers for specific biomedical applications. 

However, it has been found in two hard tissue systems that protein-polysaccharide-rich regions are mineralized to a higher degree than collagen-rich regions493). 

The tannins are special phenolic compounds characterized by their ability to combine with proteins and other polymers such as polysaccharides. This characteristic explains their tanning properties as arising from a tannin-collagen matrix and then astringency caused by precipitation of the proteins and glycoproteins from saliva. Also tannins are used in fining wines because they combine with proteins. Finally, they inhibit enzymes by combining with their protein fraction. 

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