Abstract

During the reaction between oligoelectrolyte and collagen, a polyelectrolyte complex of the pendent-pendent type is formed^1-4.  This kind of intermacromolecular complex⁵ has the structure of a three-dimensional polyionic network⁶, which is only continuous within a fibril owing to the hierarchy of collagen I structure^7’8. The structure of this intrafibrilliary polyionic network has been discussed theoretically. The structure of collagen compounds with oligoelectrolyte on the basis of naphthalene-2-sulphonic acid condensed with formaldehyde (Syntanin) has then been followed up experimentally by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and its correspondence to theoretical assumptions has been discussed.