Type I collagen, a fibrous protein abundant in connective tissues including tendon, ligament, dermis and blood
vessel, is the major component and the primary determinant of tensile strength of the extracelluar matrix (ECM).
It is widely used as a thin layer on tissue-culture surfaces to enhance the attachment and proliferation of a variety of cells including endothelial cells,
fibroblasts, hepatocytes, epithelial cells and etc. In addition, collagen I can self-assemble into a 3-D superamolecular gel in vitro, making it an ideal biological scaffold to promote more in vivo-like cellular morphology and function. The ScienCell? collagen I-3D Gelling kit includes collagen I purified from rat tail tendon by a modification of the method of Bell et al1 and
supplied as a sterile liquid in 1/1000 acetic acid. It also includes a 10? Gelling Buffer, which can be used to
adjust the pH and ionic strength of the collagen I solution to allow for the formation of a homogenous gel.