Influence of Cyclodextrins on the Physical Properties of Collagen

Collagen and cyclodextrins are well known as triple helical protein and oligosaccharides. Cyclodextrins are the simplest organic compounds, which exhibit complex formation with other organic molecules and hence are excellent models of enzymes. This property of cyclodextrins to form inclusion complexes is being exploited in the present investigation. In fibrillogenesis, collagens with intact telopeptide form fibrils more rapidly, than those with degraded telopeptides. Since hydrophobic aminoacid residues are found in the telopeptide region and that the telopeptide is involved in fibrillogenesis, there is a possibility that the cavity of cyclodextrin encapsulate the hydrophobic amino acid residues, thereby interrupting the crosslinking of collagen. Hence cyclodextrins were added to collagen in different percentages (concentrations) and fibril formation experiments were performed. Similarly cyclodextrins were added to different concentration of collagen and the viscometric properties of collagen were studied. Results show that the cyclodextrins interact with collagen though the pathway of interaction is yet be studied in detail.