Physicochemical and biological activity study of genipin-crosslinked chitosan scaffolds prepared by using supercritical carbon dioxide for tissue engineering applications

The present study deals with the preparation of porous chitosan scaffolds by using a greener technique i.e., supercritical carbon dioxide (sc.CO2). 0.2 M chitosan (CS) solution in aqueous acetic acid was treated with 4% (w/v) genipin solution; the resulting hydrogels were subjected to solvent exchange prior to the final treatment procedures. Their morphology, pore structure, and physical properties were characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffractogram (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the specific surface areas and porosimetry of scaffolds were determined by using N2 adsorption. The biological activity of scaffolds was investigated by immersing them into 1.5× simulated body fluid (SBF) and cellular attachment study was assessed using Alamar Blue assay by seeding MG63 osteoblastic cells onto the scaffolds. The sc.CO2 assisted chitosan scaffold prepared by using green chemistry approach is highly pure and bioactive and can be served as a potential material for tissue engineering applications.