Abstract
The thermosensitive hydrogels are widely used in tissue engineering due to their non-invasive application. Special interest of researchers, due to the specific characteristics of both materials, is aimed at composites of natural origin obtained from chitosan hydrogels combined with collagen. The mechanical properties of the thermosensitive chitosan-fish collagen hydrogels and the sol-gel phase transition parameters were determined by the rotational rheometry measurement techniques. Based on comparison of the obtained storage modulus G' curves, it was found that the addition of collagen negatively affects the mechanical properties of composite scaffolds. The addition of this protein substance decreases their elasticity. Only the smallest concentration (0.25g collagen/1 g chitosan) of collagen improves the mechanical properties of composite hydrogels, from 56 kPa to 61 kPa. Conducted non-isothermal studies allowed to conclude that the addition of collagen causes an increasing temperature of sol-gel phase transition. However, the observed changes are not a monotone function of the biopolymer concentration.
Highlights
Hydrogels are three-dimensional, hydrophilic porous polymeric structures, capable of binding water and many biological fluids [1]
The mechanical properties of the thermosensitive chitosan-fish collagen hydrogels and the sol-gel phase transition parameters were determined by the rotational rheometry measurement techniques
The conducted studies indicate a significant effect of fish collagen addition on the viscoelastic properties of colloidal chitosan solutions
Summary
Hydrogels are three-dimensional, hydrophilic porous polymeric structures, capable of binding water and many biological fluids [1] These systems are insoluble due to non-covalent interactions between the polymer chains (physical crosslinking) or secondary polymerization caused by the addition of cross-linking substances (formation of covalent interactions) [2,3]. These structures, known as scaffolds, are used in tissue engineering as temporary matrices for local delivery of cells, growth factors and drugs [4]. Due to the fluid form, the use of injectable scaffold allows to fill complex defects [8] Another advantage is the ability to control important properties such as porosity, size, geometry and the degree of connection pores. This leads to the possibility of imitating the topological and microstructural properties of the extracellular matrix [9]
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