Preparation, characterization and biological properties of Gellan gum films with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide cross-linker

Gellan gum (GG) is an exopolysaccharide produced by Sphingomonas elodea. To develop a medical application for GG, in this study we prepared 26 mu m thick films of GG reacted with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) in 40% ethanol to obtain a cross-linked film (GG40) with 73% gel content and 52.4 MPa tensile strength. In vitro biocompatibility tests, GG40 film exhibit nontoxic effects for L929 cells and inhibit absorption and activation of platelets. When implanted into rat subcutaneous tissue, the GG40 film caused minor inflammation in the early postoperative period. The results indicate that the effects of GG40 film on wound healing, wound size reduction (%) and collagen content are higher than those found in commercial products (Duoderm). Therefore, we conclude that the GG film developed in this study has potential for future use in surgical applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.