An Electron-Microscope Study of the Reaction of Collagen with Some Monoaldehydes and Bifunctional Aldehydes

Abstract

Rat tail tendon collagen has been treated with the monoaldehydes, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde and benzaldehyde, and with the dialdehydes, glyoxal and glutaraldehyde. The treated collagen was then examined in the electron microscope using a negative stain. Alterations to the native collagen pattern were seen with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, glyoxal and glutaraldehyde. A correlation was noted between the changes in the band pattern and the degree of cross-linking estimated from chemical and physical changes in the treated collagen and from measurements of cross-linking made by other workers. The results indicate that the use of electron microscopy and negative staining may be a valuable method of assessing the degree of cross-linking in collagen treated with aldehydes and other reagent.