Comparison of Collagen and Polylactic Acid Multifilament Yarns for Developing Textile Scaffolds for Tendon Tissue Engineering Applications

This study is the first to compare the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of multifilament yarns made from a natural biopolymer, collagen, and from a synthetic polymer, polylactic acid (PLA), with a view toward evaluating the suitability of these two yarns for fabricating tendon tissue engineering scaffolds. Genipin, the natural plant-based anti-inflammatory and antioxidant crosslinking agent, was used to stabilize the collagen structure. A range of different genipin concentrations, crosslinking temperatures, and crosslinking times were studied, and based on higher degrees of crosslinking, reduced swelling ratio, and greater tensile strength, the recommended conditions are crosslinking the wet-spun collagen yarns with 1.0% genipin at 37°C for 72 h. During a 6-week enzymatic degradation study, the PLA yarns were more resistant to degradation and retained greater tensile strength than the genipin-crosslinked collagen yarns under both dry (4.0 ± 0.2 N vs. 2.2 ± 0.4 N) and hydrated (3.7 ± 0.3 N vs. 0.4 ± 0.1 N) conditions. After coating the PLA yarns with collagen, their biocompatibility improved, and they were able to support tendon cell growth and proliferation. In conclusion, the selection of multifilament PLA yarns coated with collagen is recommended as a promising scaffold material for tendon tissue engineering applications.