Effect of interpolymer complex formation between chondroitin sulfate and chitosan-gelatin hydrogel on physico-chemical and rheological properties

Abstract

The present study focuses on the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) natural polymeric hydrogel containing chitosan (C), gelatin (GE) and chondroitin sulfate A (CS) to surpass the drawbacks of chitosan-gelatin (C-GE) hydrogel. Hydrogels were prepared using dual gelling agents in the form of β-glycerol phosphate (β-GP) and sodium hydrogen carbonate (SHC) and failed to gel in the absence of either gelling agent. All the hydrogels showed the ability to self-heal when broken into two parts. The addition of CS resulted in the formation of elastic hydrogels during the entire range of applied shear strain (0.001–100 %) compared to hydrogel without CS. CS containing hydrogels resulted in 25–41 % bovine serum albumin in vitro release compared to 77 % in hydrogel without CS at the end of 16 days. The addition of VEGF165 to hydrogel improved cell proliferation drastically in C-GE hydrogel. C-GE-CS hydrogels exhibited better cell growth compared to C-GE hydrogel with or without the addition of VEGF165.