title: Chitosan/gelatin blends for biomedical applications.
abstract: Blends between chitosan (CS) and gelatin (G) with various compositions (CS/G 0/100 20/80, 40/60, 60/40, 100/0 w/w) were produced as candidate materials for biomedical applications. Dehydro-thermal crosslinking was adopted to promote the formation of amide and ester bonds between the macromolecules ((CS/G)-t). The effect of composition and crosslinking on the physico-chemical properties of the samples was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, contact angle measurements, dissolution and swelling tests. Mechanical properties of (CS/G)-t samples were also determined through stress-strain and creep-recovery tests. The elastic moduli of dry blend samples showed a positive deviation from the additive law of the in-series model, because of interactions and/or chemical bonds between components. The comparison between the elastic moduli of wet samples and those of different human tissues showed that (CS/G)-t substrates can be suitable for soft-tissue reconstruction. (CS/G)-t two-dimensional scaffolds were fabricated by micro-molding, based on the use of a polydimethylsiloxane mould to create patterns with micro-scale resolution on cast films. Biocompatibility of (CS/G)-t samples was studied by means of cell tests using NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. Finally, the evaluation of the affinity of (CS/G)-t samples towards neuroblastoma cells adhesion and proliferation was performed, showing promising results for the blend containing 80 wt % gelatin.
authors.affiliation: Centro E. Piaggio, University of Pisa, Via Diotisalvi 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy. e_pulieri@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pulieri
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chiono
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciardelli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vozzi
authors.forename: Arti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahluwalia
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domenici
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vozzi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giusti
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D005780:Gelatin / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005780:Gelatin; D048271:Chitosan