Collagen concentration - (May/04/2002 )

Hi to everybody,
which is the highest concentration of collagen you can use for doing a normal coatings?
I need PC12 cells really stuck to the dish!
Thank you

Hi,

I would call BD Biosciences with this question. They would probably know. Actually, you could probably go as high as your stock collagen concentration allows you to. Try it! You could consider making an actual thin gel for the cells to grow on top of. This might work better than trying to make a thin coating that might come off.

-Jeff

Actually it depends on which type of collagen you are using. Collagen type IV, for example is really finicky and doesn't do well in concentrations greater than 0.5 mg/mL. Collagen type I, though, is quite happy at its (just about) highest possible concentration of 5.0 mg/mL. I've found that 1.0 mg/mL collagen I is a really firm gel for PC12s, but the only caveat is that most places sell the stuff at a low pH, and for the gel to form, you have to make the solution neutral. Good luck.

-Scotty