Cell-loaded gelatin/chitosan scaffolds fabricated by salt-leaching/lyophilization for skin tissue engineering: In vitro and in vivo study

In this study, physical and biological features of the novel three-dimensional cell-loaded gelatin (G)/chitosan (CS) scaffolds fabricated via combining salt-leaching and lyophilization technique is evaluated. To fabricate these scaffolds, CS and G solutions were blended at different ratios and the influence of G/CS ratio on physical and biological properties of the scaffolds were studied. The properties of porous structure, such as microstructure, porosity, mean pore size, phosphate buffer saline solution absorption, mechanical properties as well as biocompatibility were evaluated. The in vitro assays showed excellent cell attachment and proliferation on scaffolds with G/CS ratio of 80/20. The results showed that the amount of G has a significant effect on attachment, growth, and proliferation of fibroblast cells on the scaffolds. In vivo assessment showed that treatment with human dermal fibroblast cell loaded scaffolds significantly accelerated wounds healing in rat compared with the control groups. The biological investigation on these scaffolds proves that they have a great potential for using in skin tissue engineering. (C) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.