POSTECH Ocean Science and Technology Institute, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 790-784, South Korea.
Biotechnol Prog. 2013 Mar-Apr;29(2):505-12. doi: 10.1002/btpr.1691. Epub 2013 Mar 6.
Chitosan is one of the most widely used structural polymers for biomedical applications because it has many favorable properties. However, one of the most critical drawbacks regarding the use of chitosan as a biomedical material is its poor mechanical properties in wet conditions. Here, we designed a method to improve the mechanical properties of chitosan in wet conditions and minimized the swelling behavior of chitosan film due to water adsorption by mimicking the sclerotization of insect cuticles and squid beaks, that is, catechol-meditated crosslinking. The biomimetic chitosan composite film was prepared by mixing chitosan with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) as a catecholic crosslinker and sodium periodate as an oxidant. The catechol-meditated crosslinking provided a sevenfold enhancement in the stiffness in wet conditions compared to pure chitosan films and reduced the swelling behavior of the chitosan film. This strategy expands the possible applications for the use of chitosan composites as load-bearing biomaterials.
壳聚糖是生物医学应用中最广泛使用的结构聚合物之一，因为它具有许多优良的性能。然而，将壳聚糖用作生物医学材料最关键的缺点之一是其在潮湿条件下的机械性能较差。在这里，我们设计了一种方法来提高壳聚糖在潮湿条件下的机械性能，并通过模拟昆虫外骨骼和鱿鱼喙的硬化过程，即儿茶酚介导的交联，最小化壳聚糖薄膜因水吸附而产生的溶胀行为。通过将壳聚糖与 L-3,4-二羟基苯丙氨酸（DOPA）混合作为儿茶酚交联剂和高碘酸钠作为氧化剂，制备了仿生壳聚糖复合薄膜。儿茶酚介导的交联使湿条件下的刚性提高了七倍，与纯壳聚糖薄膜相比，同时降低了壳聚糖薄膜的溶胀行为。这种策略扩展了壳聚糖复合材料作为承重生物材料的可能应用。
