Processing and characterization of chitosan/PVA and methylcellulose porous scaffolds for tissue engineering

Biomimetic porous scaffold chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) CS/PVA containing various amounts of methylcellulose (MC) (25%, 50% and 75%) incorporated in CS/PVA blend was successfully produced by a freeze drying method in the present study. The composite porous scaffold membranes were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling degree, porosity, degradation of films in Hank's solution and the mechanical properties. Besides these characterizations, the antibacterial activity of the prepared scaffolds was tested, toward the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) and Escherichia coli (E.coli). FTIR, XRD and DSC demonstrated that there was strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the molecules of CS/PVA and MC. The crystalline microstructure of the scaffold membranes was not well developed. SEM images showed that the morphology and diameter of the scaffolds were mainly affected by the weight ratio of MC. By increasing the MC content in the hybrid scaffolds, their swelling capacity and porosity increased. The mechanical properties of these scaffolds in dry and swollen state were greatly improved with high swelling ratio. The elasticity of films was also significantly improved by the incorporation of MC, and the scaffolds could also bear a relative high tensile strength. These findings suggested that the developed scaffold possess the prerequisites and can be used as a scaffold for tissue engineering.