Degradation and compatibility behaviors of poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan

The films of poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan were prepared without using a catalyst to improve the degradable property of chitosan. The films were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The degradation of the poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan films were investigated in the lysozyme solution. In vitro degradation tests revealed that the degradation rate of poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan films increased dramatically compared with chitosan. The degradation rate of poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan films gradually increased with the increasing of the molar ratio of glycolic acid to chitosan. Additionally, the poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan films have good biocompatibility, as demonstrated by in vitro cytotoxicity of the extraction fluids. The biocompatible and biodegradable poly(glycolic acid) grafted chitosan would be an effective material with controllable degradation rate to meet the diverse needs in biomedical fields. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.