Vigilancia Tecnológica

Star?shaped polycaprolactone into chitosan?based networks (CS/stPCL) networks via urethane/urea linkages. CS/stPCL networks via urethane/urea linkages.AbstractA chitosan?based network was fabricated using hexamethylene diisocyanate as a crosslinking agent. The effect was investigated of incorporating star?shaped polycaprolactone (stPCL) into chitosan?based networks (CS/stPCL), where the stPCL content varied from 10 to 50?wt%. Quantitative analyses of the urethane/urea linkages and of the stPCL content in the networks were determined based on curve fitting and Soxhlet extraction, respectively. The optimum weight ratio was 80:20 for CS and stPCL (80CS20stPCL), with the highest urethane/urea linkages and stPCL content in the network (30.73%). The compressive testing and rheological analysis indicated that incorporating stPCL enhanced the compressive strength and rheological properties of the chitosan?based network. In addition, the 3?(4,5?dimethylthiazol?2?yl)?2,5?diphenyl?2H?tetrazolium bromide assay of the CS/stPCL network had a cell viability percentage greater than 70%. The CS/stPCL network promoted the formation of an apatite layer on the surface, indicating that the CS/stPCL network could be a promising candidate for tissue engineering.