Properties of Collagen/Chitosan Scaffolds for Skin Tissue Engineering

Biopolymer blends between collagen and chitosan have the potential to produce cell scaffolds with biocompatible properties. In this study, porous scaffolds were fabricated by freeze drying the solution of collagen and chitosan and crosslinked by dehydrothermal treatment (DHT). Various types of scaffolds were prepared by varying compositions of collagen and chitosan. The scaffolds were fully characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results proved that collagen and chitosan scaffolds in all blending compositions contained only physical but not chemical interaction in molecular level. The compressive modulus from a universal mechanical testing machine decreased with increasing the compositions of chitosan. Equilibrium swelling ratios of approximately 6-8, carried out in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at physiological pH (7.4) were found in case of collagen dominate scaffolds. The lysozyme biodegradation test demonstrated that the presence of chitosan could significantly prolong the biodegradation of collagen/chitosan scaffolds. The collagen/chitosan scaffold was more effective to promote and accelerate L929 cell proliferation, particularly for scaffolds containing 30% of chitosan. The results elucidated that the blends of collagen with chitosan have a high possibility to be applied as new materials for skin tissue engineering.