Design and fabrication of porous chitosan scaffolds with tunable structures and mechanical properties

Chitosan-based porous scaffolds are of great interest in biomedical applications because of their biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, the poor mechanical properties of these scaffolds hinder their broad utility. In the present study, a novel compression method was developed to fabricate chitosan scaffolds with high mechanical strength and tuneable topography, based on the ionic strength and pH-dependent solubility of chitosan. When the compressive ratio increases from 1 to 8, the compressive elastic modulus of the scaffold increases from 5.2 kPa to 520 kPa and the porosity decreases from 94.1% to 82.5%. Furthermore, the number of human adipose-derived stem cells adhering to the scaffolds increases as the compressive ratio increases, owing to the high density of the chitosan fibres. This method does not require external cross-linker agent, sophisticated instrumentation and/or technical proficiency and could be extended to other polysaccharides.