Inhibition of Collagenase by Withania Somnifera and Cardiospermum Halicacabum Extract against Collagenolytic Degradation of Collagen

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field that aims to regenerate new tissue to replace damaged tissues or organs. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex mixture of macromolecules that play an essential instructional role in the development of tissues and organs. Therefore, tissue engineering approaches rely on the need to present the correct cues to cells, to guide them to maintain tissue-specific functions. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large family of calcium-dependent zinc-containing endopeptidases, which are responsible for remodeling and degradation of the ECM. Over expression of MMPs-1, 8, 13, 18 (collagenase I, II, III and IV) are capable of degrading native interstitial collagens I, II and III and at the cellular surface producing changes in cellular behavior and subsequent pathological responses. To devise strategies for using collagen in the development of advanced biomaterials for biomedical engineering, it is necessary to confer resistance to proteolytic (MMPscollagenase) degradation (Anderson et al 2008).