In vitro biocompatibility evaluations of hexanoyl chitosan film

The present contribution reports for the first time some in vitro biocompatibility evaluations of hexanoyl chitosan (H-chitosan) for possible utilization in biomedical applications. The evaluations comprised the cytotoxicity testing and the attachment, proliferation, and spreading of L929, mouse connective tissue, fibroblast-like cells that were cultured on the surface of H-chitosan film in comparison with those on chitosan film. These films were fabricated by solution-casting technique. Some thermal, physico-chemical, and morphological characteristics of H-chitosan film were also investigated. H-chitosan film exhibited two steps in the loss of its mass at 242 and 299 °C, respectively, while chitosan film exhibited only one at 297 °C. The water contact angle on the surface of H-chitosan film was 76°, while that on the surface of chitosan counterpart was 71°, a result indicating the more hydrophobicity of H-chitosan film in comparison with the chitosan counterpart. Indirect cytotoxicity evaluation of H-chitosan film using L929 revealed non-toxicity of the film to the cells. Lastly, both the attachment and the proliferation of L929 cells on H-chitosan film were inferior to those on tissue-culture polystyrene plate (TCPS). The attachment of the cells on H-chitosan film was better than that on the chitosan counterpart at a short seeding time (i.e., <5 h), while the proliferation of the cells on H-chitosan film was better than that on the chitosan counterpart after 2 and 3 days in culture.