Effect of types of buffer solution, pH and soaking time on the water uptake of small intestinal submucosa sheets

Small intestinal submucosa (SIS) is consisted with collagen and glycosaminoglycan as well as some growth factors which can stimulate cell activity. Recently, it has been recognized that SIS has been successfully examined in the bio-medical application as biomaterials without xenograft immuno-rejection response. We prepared native SIS sheets and acid treated SIS sheets by acetic acid with 1 or 5-layered sheets, respectively. The water uptake ability of native and acid treated SIS sheets was examined to evaluate the possibility as wound dressings. Morphologies of SIS sheets were characterized by SEM and the effects of various buffer solutions and different pH solutions on the water uptake ability were observed for 16 days. We observed that the acid treated SIS sheets had higher water uptake ability than native SIS sheets. Also, the water uptake ability of these was slightly higher in various buffers than distilled water. In conclusion, this study suggests that native and acid treated SIS sheets could be useful for the applications of wound dressing and biodegradable injectable materials.