title: Effect of crosslinking in chitosan/aloe vera-based membranes for biomedical applications.
abstract: The positive interaction between polysaccharides with active phytochemicals found in medicinal plants may represent a strategy to create active wound dressing materials useful for skin repair. In the present work, blended membranes composed of chitosan (Cht) and aloe vera gel were prepared through the solvent casting, and were crosslinked with genipin to improve their properties. Topography, swelling, wettability, mechanical properties and in vitro cellular response of the membranes were investigated. With the incorporation of aloe vera gel into chitosan solution, the developed chitosan/aloe-based membranes displayed increased roughness and wettability; while the genipin crosslinking promoted the formation of stiffer membranes in comparison to those of the non-modified membranes. Moreover, in vitro cell culture studies evidenced that the L929 cells have high cell viability, confirmed by MTS test and calcein-AM staining. The findings suggested that both blend compositions and crosslinking affected the physico-chemical properties and cellular behavior of the developed membranes.
authors.affiliation: 3Bs Research Group-Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, S. Cl_audio de Barco, Caldas das Taipas, Guimarães, Portugal. simonesilva@dep.uminho.pt
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Caridade
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mano
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D000504:Aloe / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004548:Elasticity; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D051379:Mice; D014783:Viscosity; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Aloe vera; Blends; Chitosan; Crosslinking; Genipin