Isolation and partial characterization of collagen fibrils, fibers and fiber-bundles from insoluble calf dermis

Collagen fibrils, fibers and fiber bundles have been isolated from insoluble calf skin chips by disaggregation with a neutral salt buffer followed by differential centrifugation. The ratio of type I collagen/type III collagen was relatively constant, regardless of the size of the fibrous materials. On the other hand, the ratios of glycosaminoglycans/collagen and non-collagenous glycoproteins/collagen were significantly higher in the thinner fiber fractions. However, the ratio of hyaluronic acid to dermatan sulfate was unchanged. The role of the non-collanenous constituents in collagen fibrillogenesis in vivo is discussed.