Miyata T, Taira T, Noishiki Y
Koken Bioscience Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Clin Mater. 1992;9(3-4):139-48. doi: 10.1016/0267-6605(92)90093-9.
Collagen is a typical biological macromolecule having been utilized for a long period of time as a material like cellulose. However, its application is becoming comprehensive, ranging from classical applications such as the leather, gelatine and food industries to the current one, namely, biomaterial and biotechnological uses. The diversification of collagen applications was enhanced by two factors, the accumulation of the scientific knowledge that permitted proper engineering of collagen for a biomaterial use, and the demand for new biomaterials with characteristic biological properties including interaction with cells. The collagen engineering described in this paper is designed for biomaterial use, based on the fundamental chemical and biological properties of collagen; however, it would be useful also for other applications apart from biomaterials.
胶原蛋白是一种典型的生物大分子，长期以来一直被用作类似纤维素的材料。然而，它的应用正在变得全面，从皮革、明胶和食品工业等传统应用到当前的生物材料和生物技术用途。胶原蛋白应用的多样化受到两个因素的推动，一是科学知识的积累，这使得能够对胶原蛋白进行适当的工程设计以用于生物材料；二是对具有包括与细胞相互作用在内的特征生物学特性的新型生物材料的需求。本文所述的胶原蛋白工程是基于胶原蛋白的基本化学和生物学特性设计用于生物材料用途的；然而，它对于生物材料以外的其他应用也将是有用的。
