Approaches to improving the mechanical properties of collagen biomaterials

Abstract

Collagen is a natural constituent of the extracellular matrix of tissues. It iswell known that, when prepared without additives, diluted collagen hydrogels presentpoor mechanical properties limiting their use in tissue engineering. Hence, collagen´sstructural properties need to be enhanced. For this purpose, this chapter presents anoverview of the recent advances and alternatives developed to improve the mechanicalproperties of collagen biomaterials.