Advanced Materials Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK; Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Egypt.
Advanced Materials Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK.
Carbohydr Polym. 2019 Jan 15;204:59-67. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.10.002. Epub 2018 Oct 4.
This study aimed to explore the correlation between mechanical and structural properties of chitosan-agarose blend (Ch-Agrs) scaffolds. Porosity of Ch-Agrs scaffolds was constant at 93%, whilst pore sizes varied between 150 and 550 μm. Pore sizes of the blend scaffolds (150-300 μm) were significantly smaller than for either agarose or chitosan scaffolds alone (ca. 500 μm). Ch50-Agrs50 blend scaffold showed the highest compressive modulus and strength values (4.5 ± 0.4 and 0.35 ± 0.03 MPa) due to reduction in the pore size. The presence of agarose improved the stability of the blends in aqueous media. The increase in compressive properties and residual weight after the TGA test, combined with the reduction in the swelling percentage of the blend scaffolds suggested an interaction between chitosan and agarose via hydrogen bonding which was confirmed using FTIR analysis. All wet blend scaffolds exhibited instant recovery after full compression. This study shows the potential of Ch-Agrs scaffolds for repairing soft tissue.
本研究旨在探讨壳聚糖-琼脂糖共混（Ch-Agrs）支架的力学和结构性能之间的相关性。Ch-Agrs 支架的孔隙率保持在 93%不变，而孔径在 150 至 550μm 之间变化。共混支架的孔径（150-300μm）明显小于单独的琼脂糖或壳聚糖支架（约 500μm）。由于孔径减小，Ch50-Agrs50 共混支架表现出最高的压缩模量和强度值（4.5±0.4 和 0.35±0.03MPa）。琼脂糖的存在提高了共混物在水介质中的稳定性。TGA 测试后压缩性能和残余重量的增加，以及共混支架溶胀率的降低表明壳聚糖和琼脂糖之间存在氢键相互作用，这通过傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）分析得到了证实。所有湿共混支架在完全压缩后均能立即恢复。本研究表明 Ch-Agrs 支架在修复软组织方面具有潜力。
