Physical properties and biocompatibility of chitosan/soy blended membranes

Blends of polysaccharides and proteins are a source for the development of novel materials with interesting and tailorable properties, with potential to be used in a range of biomedical applications. in this work a series of blended membranes composed by chitosan and soy protein isolate was prepared by solvent casting methodology. in addition, cross-linking was performed in situ with glutaraldehyde solutions in the range 5x10(-3)-0.1 M. Furthermore, the influence of the composition and cross-linking on the degradation behaviour, water uptake and cell adhesion was investigated. The obtained results showed that the incorporation of chitosan, associated to network formation by cross linking, promoted a slight decrease of water absorption and a slower degradability of the membranes. Moreover, direct contact biocompatibility studies, with L929 cells, indicate that the cross-linking enhances the capability of the material to support cell growth.