Preparation of acrylic grafted chitin for wound dressing application

Chitin grafted with poly(acrylic acid) (chitin-PAA) was prepared with the aim of obtaining a hydrogel characteristic for wound dressing application. The chitin-PAA films were synthesized at various acrylic acid feed contents to investigate its effect on water sorption ability. Acrylic acid (AA) was first linked to chitin, acting as the active grafting sites on the chain that was further polymerized to form a network structure. The evidences of grafting were found from FTIR and solid state 13C NMR spectra. The TGA results exhibited the high degradation temperature of the grafted product suggesting the formation of a network structure. The degree of swelling (DS) of chitin-PAA films was found in the range of 30-60 times of their original weights depending upon the monomer feed content. The chitin-PAA film with 1:4 weight ratio of chitin:AA, possessed optimal physical properties. The cytocompatibility of the film was investigated with a cell line of L929 mouse fibroblasts. The morphology and behavior of the cells on the chitin-PAA film were determined after different time periods of culture up to 14 days. The L929 cells proliferated and attached well onto the film. These results suggested that the 1:4 chitin-PAA has a potential to be used as a wound dressing.