Effects of 1-Ethyl-3-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl) Carbodiimide Cross-Linking Duration on the Structure of Chitosan/Gelatin Composite Bone Scaffolds

Abstract

Freeze-drying method can create three-dimensional, porous structure bone scaffolds, the pore size of which can be changed by a cross-linking agent. This study dissolves chitosan powder in a 1 v/v % acetic acid aqueous solution to form a 2 w/v% chitosan solution. The chitosan solution and a 4 w/v % gelatin aqueous solution are blended to form Chitosan/Gelatin mixture, after which the mixture is frozen at-20 °C for 1 hour, removed, and cross-linked with a 0.5 v/v % 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) solution for different durations. The cross-linked mixture is frozen at-20 °C for 1 hour and then freeze-dried for 24 hours to form Chitosan/Gelatin composite bone scaffolds. A stereomicroscope and a scanning electron microscopes (SEM) and Image Pro Plus are used to observe the surface and pore size of the bond scaffolds, and in vitro evaluates their biocompatibility. The experiment results show that resulting bone scaffolds possess a uniform pore distribution a desirable biocompatibility.