Photocurable O-carboxymethyl chitosan derivatives for biomedical applications: Synthesis, in vitro biocompatibility, and their wound healing effects

In this work, photocurable water-soluble chitosan derivatives were prepared for biomedical applications by modifying water-soluble O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMC) derivatives with furfuryl glycidyl ether (O-CMC/FGE). Successful derivatization of chitosan to the final product (O-CMC/FGE) was verified by UV and H-1 NMR spectral analysis. The degree of photo-crosslinking was measured by a flow distance experiment after exposure to visible light for a certain period of time. The degree of crosslinking increased linearly in proportion to exposure time. The in vitro cell viability test revealed a lack of cytotoxicity of O-CMC/FGE against mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. However, poor cell attachment was observed for the cells seeded onto the photocured O-CMC/FGE; this is likely due to the anionic nature of this material. O-CMC/FGE displayed wound healing effects in an in vivo animal experiment using a burn wound model. Due to its good biocompatibility, wound healing effect, and mild cross-linking condition, together with an inhibitory effect on cell attachment, O-CMC/FGE would be a promising candidate as an anti-adhesion material for biomedical applications.