Development and characterization of chitosan and chitosan-starch composite scaffolds prepared by freeze gelation method

Abstract

According to NIH “Tissue Engineering can be defined as an emerging multidisciplinary field that applies the principles of biology, medicine, and engineering in order to improve the health and quality of millions of people worldwide by restoring, enhancing and maintaining tissue and organ functions.one of its primary applications involves preparation of scaffolds both pure and composites for various tissue engineering applications. Natural polymers are one of the most looked into sources for preparation of these scaffolds, mainly because of their extracellular matrix [ECM] mimicking nature, unique chemical properties, and excellent biological performance. Chitosan is a deacetylated derivative of chitin, the most abundant biopolymer in nature and found in the walls of various fungi and shells of crustaceans. The proposed work is based on Freeze gelation method for the preparation of chitosan and its composite scaffold with the use of Starch. The effect of different weight ratios on the morphology, crystallinity, composition, biodegradability and biocompatibility is studied. This work will pave a way for economical scaffold manufacture for varied tissue engineering applications.