Production and characterization of collagen based compozite film with wound repair potential

Injuries, which account for approximately 8% of all deaths, kill 4.4 million people worldwide every year. The extent of these injuries is extremely important in determining the healing process. Wound healing is a complex and multifactorial process that results in wound stretching, closure and restoration of the functional barrier. The basic logic of many products on the market is to accelerate cell proliferation and increase fibril and collagen production. Collagen, which has a wide distribution in soft and hard connective tissues, is the most abundant protein in mammals. In vitro collagen is a structure that is inherently biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic in exogenous applications, and can be formed into highly organized and three-dimensional scaffolds with high tensile strength. These properties have made collagen one of the most preferred materials for wound healing and tissue engineering applications. In this thesis, a mixture of Type I and Type III collagen obtained from rat tail was used. The collagen extract obtained by using acid precipitation technique was removed from the acid by dialysis. When characterized by Kjeldahl method, 97% purity was calculated. The fruit part of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. plant, which has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and cell proliferation acceleration effect, was used in the collagen extract. Three parts of the fruit were extracted using methanol. Four composite film samples (peel, berry, core and control group) were prepared and chemically (FT-IR, TGA and SEM) and biologically characterized (biodegradation (water and soil) and antioxidant activity). The characterization results of the composite films show that they are a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to the commercial products used in the market.