Fixation of bioprosthetic tissues with monofunctional and multifunctional polyepoxy compounds

J Biomed Mater Res. 1994 Jun;28(6):677-84. doi: 10.1002/jbm.820280604.

Abstract

Collagen from a native tissue is fixed with a polyepoxy compound (PC) for use as a new biologic prosthetic material. Prior studies have shown that this biomaterial has comparable properties with collagen fixed with glutaraldehyde (GA), and thus has great promise for biomedical applications. A prior kinetic study indicated that the reaction between the functional groups of collagen and the multifunctional epoxy EX-313 is a 2.5th-order reaction. The purpose of this study was to understand the mechanism of the amino acid-PC reactions in a fixation process. Bovine arteries were fixed with a monofunctional PC (EX-131) and a multifunctional PC (EX-313) as a function of fixation time. A sequential fixation with a second fixative was used to identify the available remaining reactive sites from a prior fixation. The denaturation temperature (Td) was measured on each sample. Because the denaturation temperature is a direct indication of crosslinking of individual amino acids with the fixative, the increase in Td of a subsequent fixation may be indicative of the available remaining amino acids. The fixation index was measured on each sample to reflect the increase of fixation completion in a sequential fixation process. The fixation index and crosslink data also revealed that the reactive amino acids for EX-131 and EX-313 may not be exactly the same. The data in this study suggest that a monofunctional fixative can pre-react with the amino acids of collagen to effectively block further fixation of collagen with a second fixative. This amino acid masking may be associated with collagen branching. Collagen branching and its effect on denaturation temperature are described.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bioprosthesis*
  • Blood Vessel Prosthesis
  • Cattle
  • Collagen / chemistry
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Epoxy Compounds*
  • Fixatives*
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Materials Testing
  • Polypropylenes*
  • Thoracic Arteries / chemistry

Substances

  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Epoxy Compounds
  • Fixatives
  • Polypropylenes
  • polyglycerol polyglycidyl ether
  • Collagen
  • Denacol EX-131