Study on the Manipulation of Physical Properties of Chitosan Scaffolds Using Mineral Oil

In this study, various chitosan (CHT) scaffolds were prepared using acetic acid and NaOH. In addition, we performed investigation on the changes in physical properties of the scaffolds prepared using a mixture of CHT solution and span 80-containing mineral oil (MS) solution. CHT/MS ratios were set at 40/10 and 60/10. The scaffold prepared using pure CHT solution was used as a control. We evaluated the effects of CHT/MS mixing ratio on the surface and 3D structure, chemical state, recovery, porosity, swelling, and cytotoxicity of the scaffold. We observed that the fine pore formation, porosity, and swelling of the prepared scaffold increased when MS solution was used. The behavior was more pronounced when CHT/MS 60/10 was used. In osteoblast proliferation assay, any cytotoxicity was not induced due to usage of MS solution. From the result obtained in this investigation, we noticed that the physical properties of the CHT scaffold can be manipulated by using MS solution while maintaining its cytocompatibility. We expect that this technique can be further utilized in the preparation of soft tissue substitutes.