We describe the production of collagen fibre bundles through Replacement Part a multi-strand, semi-continuous extrusion process.Cross-linking using an EDC (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide), NHS (N-hydroxysuccinimide) combination was considered.Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman spectroscopy focused on how cross-linking affected the collagen fibrillar structure.In the cross-linked fibres, a clear fibrillar structure comparable to native collagen was observed which was not observed in the non-cross-linked fibre.
The amide III doublet in the Raman spectra provided Mens Tank additional evidence of alignment in the cross-linked fibres.Raman spectroscopy also indicated no residual polyethylene glycol (from the fibre forming buffer) or water in any of the fibres.