An efficient hydrophobic modification strategy for enhancing collagen stability: Effect of lauric acidic N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide ester on the structure and properties of fish collagen

The hydrophobic modifications of collagen have emerged as effective approaches to endow collagen-based materials with enhanced structural stability and advanced functions, but the existing hydrophobic modification strategies are relatively inefficient and environmentally unfriendly due to the use of large quantities of organic solvents. It is highly appealing to develop a greener and more efficient strategy to prepare hydrophobically modified collagens (HMCs). Herein, the ester of N -hydroxysulfosuccinimide activated lauric acid (NHSS-LA) was prepared as a promising alternative hydrophobic modifier, which could be efficiently used in aqueous solutions for enhancing the structure and properties of HMCs and hydrophobically modified collagen fiber membranes (HMCFMs). The performance of HMCs and HMCFMs could be tuned through adjusting the dosages of NHSS-LA. Besides maintaining the triple helical structure and cytocompatibility of HMCs, the hydrophobic modification could improve the thermal stability of HMCs owing to the enhancement of hydrophobic associations between collagen molecules, which was closely related to collagen concentrations and modification rates. Furthermore, the water resistance, thermal stability, and enzymatic degradation stability of HMCFMs were significantly improved. This work provides an efficient strategy for modifying fish collagen and fabricating high-performance collagen-based materials.