Synthesis and characterization of a hybrid (chitosan-g-glycidyl methacrylate)-xanthan hydrogel

This work reports the synthesis and characterization of a new material obtained by mixing the hybrid natural-synthetic chitosan-g-glycidyl methacrylate (CTS-g-GMA) biopolymer and xanthan gum (X). All materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis (DSC and TGA) and the results were contrasted with those of the precursor materials. The swelling index of the hydrogels decreases when the GMA mass percentage increases. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the hybrid hydrogels are amorphous in contrast to chitosan (CTS), which is semi-crystalline. FTIR analysis confirms the existence of physical interactions among constituents. Rheological properties, η, G', and G", were determined as a function of flow allowing one to conclude that (CTS-g-GMA)-X behaves as physical hydrogel. Additionally, we report viability of fibroblasts when cultured onto the synthesized hydrogels. This study shows that these hydrogels support cell viability and have potential for use in biomedical engineering applications.