Modification of chitosan membrane with poly(vinyl alcohol) and biocompatibility evaluation

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2012-04, Vol.50 (3), p.658-663
• Main Authors: Zhuang, Peng-Yu, Li, You-Liang, Fan, Li, Lin, Jun, Hu, Qiao-Ling
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alcohols; Biocompatibility; Cell Adhesion - drug effects; Cell Line, Tumor; chemical structure; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Chitosan - toxicity; contact angle; cytotoxicity; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Humans; hydrophobicity; Materials Testing; mechanical properties; Membranes, Artificial; Poly(vinyl alcohol); polyvinyl alcohol; Polyvinyl Alcohol - chemistry; scanning electron microscopy; Tensile Strength; thermal properties; Wettability; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2012.01.026

► Chitosan had strong interactions with poly(vinyl alcohol) by forming hydrogen bond. ► Adding PVA into chitosan membrane could improve its flexibility and wettability. ► MTS cytotoxicity essay indicated CS/PVA membranes were biocompatible. ► Cells attachment studies showed CS/PVA membranes were biocompatible. This work aimed to overcome chitosan (CS) membrane’ drawbacks: mainly stiffness and hydrophobic surface by adding poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and evaluate their biocompatibility. The chemical structure, crystalline and thermal properties were studied by FT-IR, XRD and DSC. The mechanical properties and wettability of CS/PVA membranes were studied by tensile test and static contact angle measurement. In vitro biocompatibility was also evaluated by MTS cytotoxicity assay and SEM examination. The results suggest that adding PVA into CS membrane could greatly improve CS membrane's flexibility and wettability. All the membranes prepared were biocompatible and have potential applications in GTR technology.