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Title: The effect of gamma-irradiation on collagen molecules, isolated alpha-chains, and crosslinked native fibers

Journal Article · · Journal of Biomedical Materials Research; (USA)
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles (USA)

This study shows how collagen molecules are readily damaged by gamma-radiation at dosages commonly used for sterilizing biomedical products. At 1 Mrad, while the reported effectiveness of the radiation at such a low dosage to completely sterilize a material is questionable, less damage was caused to the collagen peptide backbone. Above such dosage, however, significant damage was clearly demonstrated with collagen alone and collagen in a chemically crosslinked tissue matrix. The enzyme digestion study showed that the material exposed to a very high dosage of radiation resisted degradation by pronase. However, molecular weight analysis showed a significant number of peptide bonds being cleaved by the radiation which could cause considerable changes in the long-term characteristics of the material. Therefore, tissues exposed to high dosages of gamma-radiation should be tested for long term functional changes. We want to caution against the usage of the enzyme degradation assay as a universal test for all bioprosthetic derived from biological tissues.

OSTI ID:
6833787
Journal Information:
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research; (USA), Vol. 24:5; ISSN 0021-9304
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English