Hydrogel Stiffness of Diluted PureCol
08/29/19
PureCol® is a 3 mg/mL type I atelocollagen solution that can be neutralized to form 3D hydrogels.
When PureCol® is neutralized from ~3.1 mg/mL solution following our specific protocol (ratio of 8:1:1 PureCol® : 10X PBS : 0.1M NaOH) the resulting collagen concentration will be around ~2.5 mg/mL.
We decided to test the collagen hydrogel stiffness of PureCol® following the recommended protocol, as well as at more diluted concentrations. The results are indicated below:
2.5 mg/mL– Elastic Modulus G’ = 290 Pa
2.0 mg/mL - Elastic Modulus G’ = 160 Pa
1.5 mg/mL - Elastic Modulus G’ = 84 Pa
We do not recommend making hydrogels below 1.5 mg/mL. We also do not recommend attempting to move or mechanically agitate the hydrogel because the soft gels will release their water and fall apart.
For firmer collagen hydrogels, we recommend using higher concentration products such as FibriCol® (10 mg/ml), or using telocollagen products such as TeloCol®-3 (3 mg/ml).
