Property of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Calcium Alginate asComposite Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Objective: A novel PVA-CaAlg composite material by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) was fabricated to investigate the feasibility serving as a scaffold for tissue engineering and to find out the most ideal proportion according to their properties. Methods: Film, graininess and sponge scaffolds of PVA-CaAlg were fabricated by three different methods. Water content and swelling ratio were tested. SEM was used to observe the configuration of the cross section. Results: Different proportional scaffolds could be obtained with different PVA molecular weight, alcoholysis degree and different SA dosages. The water content of different scaffolds ranged from 48% to 93% and showed different inner configuration with swelling ratio between 120% and 470%. SEM proved that different composite materials had different porous structures. Conclusion: A scaffold for tissue engineering with high water content and proper swelling ratio can be fabricated using PVA and SA. The porous structure shows potential in tissue engineering and cell culture.