Oriented Type I Collagen - A Review on Artificial Alignment Strategies

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and serves many functions, from mechanical stability and elasticity in tendons and bone, to optical properties, such as transparency and a fine tuned refractive index in the cornea of the eye. Collagen has interested humankind for centuries: Leonardo Da Vinci studied and drew the tendons in the human body precisely in the 15th and 16th century. A look at the literature reveals easily > 200,000 papers. This article reviews oriented type I collagen artificial alignment strategies.

Identification and Characterization of the Seed Storage Proteins and Related Genes of Cannabis sativa L.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed is emerging as a novel source of plant protein owing to its rich protein content and reasonable nutritional structure. In the current study, the storage proteins of hemp seed were extracted using different methods. The modified Osborne method yielded maximum extraction of the hemp seed storage proteins, while degreasing had little effect on the hemp seed protein (HSP) extraction. Protein identification results revealed that 11S globulin (edestin) was the most abundant protein in hemp seed, and the molecular weights of the two subunits of this protein were ~35 and 20 kDa, respectively. The second most abundant protein was 2S albumin (Cs2S), with a molecular weight of ~14–15 kDa. The least abundant protein was 7S vicilin-like protein (Cs7S), with a molecular weight of ~47 kDa. Subsequently, gene families encoding these three storage protein classes, including three genes for edestin, two for Cs2S, and one for Cs7S, were cloned and then analyzed for amino acid composition and structure. The three edestins were different in their amino acid sequences and calculated molecular weights. The analysis of coding sequences revealed a higher percentage of similarity (62.7%) between Edestin1 and Edestin3, while the similarity decreased significantly to ~57% between Edestin1 and Edestin2, and 58% between Edestin2 and Edestin3. The calculated protein molecular weight was the highest for the protein encoded by Edestin1 and the smallest for the protein encoded by Edestin2. All three edestins were rich in arginine, while Edestin3 had a higher methionine content relative to that in the other two, which proved that Edestin3 had a better nutritional value. Cs2S and Cs7S were different from those reported in previous studies. Therefore, it could be inferred that amino acid composition varies with different hemp cultivars. The current research brought significant theoretical advance in illuminating the understanding of hemp seed storage protein and would have significance for future research on improving the nutritional quality of hemp seed and developing bioactive peptides.

Blended Natural Support Materials—Collagen Based Hydrogels Used in Biomedicine

Due to their unique properties—the are biocompatible, easily accessible, and inexpensive with programmable properties—biopolymers are used in pharmaceutical and biomedical research, as well as in cosmetics and food. Collagen is one of the most-used biomaterials in biomedicine, being the most abundant protein in animals with a triple helices structure, biocompatible, biomimetic, biodegradable, and hemostatic. Its disadvantages are its poor mechanical and thermal properties and enzymatic degradation. In order to solve this problem and to use its benefits, collagen can be used blended with other biomaterials such as alginate, chitosan, and cellulose. The purpose of this review article is to offer a brief paper with updated information on blended collagen-based formulations and their potential application in biomedicine.