Design of 2D chitosan scaffolds via electrochemical structuring

Chitosan (CS) is a versatile biopolymer whose morphological and chemico-physical properties can be designed for a variety of biomedical applications. Taking advantage of its electrolytic nature, cathodic polarization allows CS deposition on electrically conductive substrates, resulting in thin porous structures with tunable morphology. Here we propose an easy method to obtain CS membranes with highly oriented micro-channels for tissue engineering applications, relying on simple control of process parameters and cathodic substrate geometry. Cathodic deposition was performed on two different aluminum grids in galvanostatic conditions at 6.25 mA cm(-2) from CS solution [1g L(-1)] in acetic acid (pH 3.5). Self-standing thin scaffolds were cross linked either with genipin or epichlorohydrin, weighted, and observed by optical and electron microscopy. Swelling properties at pH 5 and pH 7.4 have been also investigated and tensile tests performed on swollen samples at room temperature. Finally, direct and indirect assays have been performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity at 24 and 72 h. Thin scaffolds with two different oriented porosities (1000 µm and 500 µm) have been successfully fabricated by electrochemical techniques. Both cross-linking agents did not affected the mechanical properties and cytocompatibility of the resulting structures. Depending on the pH, these structures show interesting swelling properties that can be exploited for drug delivery systems. Moreover, thanks to the possibility of controlling the porosity and the micro-channel orientation, they should be used for the regeneration of tissues requiring a preferential cells orientation, e.g., cardiac patches or ligament regeneration.