Investigation of Chitosan Film Degradation in Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, the biological and physical properties of chitosan, a potential polysaccharide resource, were investigated. The proposed film was synthesised by mixing chitosan (CS) solution and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using solvent casting. The modified chitosan/PVA films were then subjected to analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), in which intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the molecules of CS and PVA was clearly demonstrated. The swelling degree of chitosan along with the contact angle were also examined. After the addition of genipin, which increased chitosan concentration the swelling degree, degradation rate, and contact angle was decreased. The results confirm that the properties of chitosan are such that they can be employed for tissue engineering applications.