Preparation, properties, and cell attachment/growth behavior of chitosan/acellular derm matrix composite materials

Composite membranes and sponge scaffolds consisting chitosan (CS) and acellular derm matrix (ADM) in six ratios were prepared by solvent evaporation technique and freeze-drying method, respectively. The composite materials were characterized by water contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water absorption and HaCat cells compatibility. The SEM result showed that CS/ADM three-dimensional (3D) micro-porous structures were successfully produced. The water absorption value of all scaffolds was over 18 times of its initial weight, which is high enough for skin regeneration scaffold, but there were no significant differences of water absorption ratio between deionized water and PBS solution for same scaffold (P > 0.05). HaCat cells were distributed uniformly on the surfaces of membrane 4-6, and an almost confluent monolayer was formed on membrane 6 on the fifth day, whereas cells maintained round and spherical in shape on the surface of membrane 1. The results showed that the cell compatibility of pure CS membrane needed to be improved, and addition of ADM realized this purpose. The results of compatibility of HaCat cells on scaffolds showed that the cell proliferated well on the scaffolds 3 and 4. In our study, the cell’s attachment and growth on the composite membranes was mainly determined by the content of the membrane, whereas the cell’s attachment and growth in the scaffolds was determined by both the content and structure of the scaffolds.