コラーゲンのMEへの応用 : コラーゲン電極

抄録

Collagen is a principal protein in the connective tissue of animal, and has been utilized as its hydrolized product, glue or gelatin. Recently, disintegrated native collagen fibers have been actively applied to make reconstituted collagen articles for various uses in the form of film, filament, strand, tubing and sponge. Collagen may be much expected as a biopolymer applicable in the -field of ME or bionics by virtue of its mechanochemical, biomedical and other properties.
In view of the affinity of collagen for water and skin, an attempt has been made to apply collagen membrane to measuring electrical potential of living body. Three methods of making collagen membrane are available : dry extrusion, wet extrusion and the electrochemical method. Mainly applying the electrochemical method, the authors have made a collagen electrode on the laboratory basis. Although the electrode made up of only a collagen membrane containing electrolyte and water gives good result, the gelatin paste-coated electrode shows excellent effects. Viscoelasticity of gelatin paste may be of great advantage to stability of measurement.
Furthermore, several phenomena in the electrochemical method are shown and an analysis thereof has been attempted. The variation pattern of electric current with time depends on acidic condition of collagen dispersion and other factors. Relation between the thickness of dry collagen film and the tensile strength per thickness of the film may suggest somewhat dynamic mechanism of the electrochemical method.