Collagen-coated agarose-chitosan scaffold used as a skin substitute

A single biomaterial is disadvantageous for constructing skin in vitro, so a mixed biomaterial is more conducive to skin research. In this study, agarose-chitosan scaffolds with a final concentration of 4% were constructed by freeze-drying, in which the concentration ratios of agarose to chitosan were 1:3, 2:2, and 3:1. The scaffolds were coated with a 3 mg/ml collagen solution, and the mechanical properties were evaluated by studying density, porosity, swelling rate, and degradation rate. The results demonstrated that the agarose-chitosan scaffolds were porous, with porosity reaching 93%. Their densities ranged from 0.1 to 0.16 g/cm³ . Analysis of Young's modulus showed that the mechanical properties of the agarose-chitosan scaffolds were significantly enhanced when the agarose content in the agarose-chitosan scaffolds was increased. Moreover, the density and Young's modulus of the agarose-chitosan scaffolds of different concentration ratios were significantly different (p < 0.01). These scaffolds can withstand a certain amount of external pressure, such as that of human skin, making them more suitable for further skin replacement research. In addition, the results of thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell assay and immunofluorescence staining showed that the collagen-coated agarose-chitosan scaffolds were conducive to keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. The MTT results revealed significant differences between the agarose-chitosan scaffolds coated with collagen and the agarose-chitosan scaffolds without collagen (p < 0.05). This study provides the potential for in vitro skin research and applications.