Preparation of Pure PLLA, Pure Chitosan, and PLLA/Chitosan Blend Porous Tissue Engineering Scaffolds by Thermally Induced Phase Separation Method and Evaluation of the Corresponding Mechanical and Biological Properties

The aim of this work was to prepare the scaffolds of pure poly (L-lactic acid) 3% (w/v), pure chitosan 3% (w/v), and PLLA/chitosan blend (1:5) 3% (w/v) using TIPS method and investigate their properties and application in tissue engineering. An in vitro degradation study of scaffolds showed the addition of chitosan to PLLA not only increased its degradation rate, but also slowed down its pH value reduction. Addition of chitosan to PLLA increased hydrophilicity, porosity, compressive properties, and cell viability of the scaffolds. The results indicate that among all scaffolds, the most appropriate candidate for tissue engineering is PLLA/chitosan blend. [GRAPHICS]