Effect of venous wall immobilization on the thermal degradation of collagen

The results from a comparative study of the thermal denaturation of collagen in the venous walls of reference samples and samples with varicose disease are presented. Changes in the organization of collagen network of the tissue matrix are detected via thermal analysis and multiphoton microscopy with recording of the second harmonic generation (SHG). It is established that the collagen network of venous walls degrades in varicose disease. It is shown that the disordering of the tertiary structure of collagen molecules is reflected in a 40% drop in the enthalpy of protein denaturation compared to reference (ΔH _D = 12.4 ± 4.9 J/g dry residue). The disorganization of fiber structures is recorded on SHG images. It is shown that upon the hydrothermal heating of sequestered samples of venous walls, the complete degradation of the tissue network occurs at 75°C. However, it is noted that upon the mechanical immobilization of samples of both types, the stability of collagen increases and complete denaturation is observed at temperatures above 84°C. It is suggested that the number of available conformations of polypeptide chains in the random coil state falls under tension, lowering ΔS _D and raising the temperature of the denaturation of protein.