title: Preparation and characterization of chitin beads as a wound dressing precursor.
abstract: Chitin was dissolved in N, N-dimethylacetamide/5% lithium chloride (DMAc/5%LiCl) to form a 0.5% chitin solution. Chitin beads were formed by dropping the 0.5% chitin solution into a nonsolvent coagulant, ethanol. The beads were left in ethanol for 24 h to permit hardening, consolidation, and removal of residual DMAc/5%LiCl solvent in order to give spherical chitin beads uniform size distribution. The ethanol-gelled chitin beads had an average diameter of 535 microm. The chitin beads were subsequently activated in 50% (w/v) NaOH solution and reacted with 1.9 M monochloroacetic acid/2-propanol solution to introduce a carboxymethylated surface layer to the chitin beads. The bilayer character of the surface-carboxymethylated chitin (SCM-chitin) beads was verified by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and confocal microscopy. The bilayered SCM-chitin beads were found to absorb up to 95 times their dry weight of water. These SCM-chitin beads have potential as a component of wound dressings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 119260.
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Yusof
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Khor
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001458:Bandages; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002021:Buffers; D002266:Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006801:Humans; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002021:Buffers; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D014867:Water; D002686:Chitin; D002266:Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium