Inflammatory response on injection of chitosan/GP to the brain

Chitosan is a well-known biomaterial that, with the addition of glycerophosphate salt (GP), gels at physiological temperatures and therefore is useful for tissue engineering purposes. This study examines the procedure of injecting chitosan/ GP to the brain in order to form a gel track. The gel system and surgical technique were successful in this endeavour; however, on examining the inflammatory response to the material it was found that the chitosan/GP was wholly engulfed by macrophages within 7 days. This was determined by staining for both the gel and the macrophages, an important technique for localising injected material. The chitosan/GP-containing macrophages formed a neat tract at the lesion site, but after 45 days no chitosan/GP was found. It was concluded that, although chitosan/GP is present after implantation, it is not available for direct scaffolding in the brain.