Abstract
Polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/Cs) blend films with various compositions were prepared using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinker. The hydrophilicity and swelling behavior of the PVA/Cs films were assessed, and the biological properties of the PVA/Cs films, including cell culture in the extract, cell cytotoxicity, and hemolytic and acute systemic toxicity tests were also investigated. The results showed that all composite films were hydrophilic materials with water contact angles changing from 45.3 ± 1.1° to 63.2 ± 1.8° when PVA content was varied from 100 to 0 wt%. The PVA/Cs films showed a significant reduction in swelling behavior as the chitosan content increased. Fibroblasts grown in PVA/Cs extract showed similar appearance with the cells cultured in the negative control medium, and the extract solution of PVA/Cs had no obvious cytotoxic effect. The hemolytic test suggested that the PVA/Cs, with a hemolytic index of 0.91%, did not have an obvious hemolytic reaction. There was no toxicosis or death observed in the acute systemic toxicity test. The results suggest that the complex of PVA and chitosan is a promising candidate biomaterial for tissue engineering.
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