In vitro biocompatibility evaluations of hexanoyl chitosan film

The present contribution reports for the first time some in vitro biocompatibility evaluations of hexanoyl chitosan (H-chitosan) for possible utilization in biomedical applications. The evaluations comprised the cytotoxicity testing and the attachment, proliferation, and spreading of L929, mouse connective tissue, fibroblast-like cells that were cultured on the surface of H-chitosan film in comparison with those on chitosan film. These films were fabricated by solution-casting technique. Some thermal, physico-chemical, and morphological characteristics of H-chitosan film were also investigated. H-chitosan film exhibited two steps in the loss of its mass at 242 and 299 degrees C, respectively, while chitosan film exhibited only one at 297 degrees C. The water contact angle on the surface of H-chitosan film was 760, while that on the surface of chitosan counterpart was 71 degrees, a result indicating the more hydrophobicity of H-chitosan film in comparison with the chitosan counterpart. Indirect cytotoxicity evaluation of H-chitosan film using L929 revealed non-toxicity of the film to the cells. Lastly, both the attachment and the proliferation of L929 cells on H-chitosan film were inferior to those on tissue-culture polystyrene plate (TCPS). The attachment of the cells on H-chitosan film was better than that on the chitosan counterpart at a short seeding time (i.e., < 5 h), while the proliferation of the cells on H-chitosan film was better than that on the chitosan counterpart after 2 and 3 days in culture. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.