Effect of immobilization with chondroitin-6-sulfate and grafting with chitosan on fibroblast and antibacterial activity of polyester fibers

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers were treated with Co-60-gamma-ray and grafted with acrylic acid (AA), and further grafted with chitosan (CS) via esterification. Afterwards these CS-grafted fibers were then immobilized with chondroitin-6-sulfate (ChS). The blood compatibility of PET was reduced by grafting with CS, while improved by immobilizing with ChS. The antibacterial activity of CS against Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was retained after ChS-immobilization. After immobilizing ChS, the L929 fibroblasts cell proliferation was higher than CS-grafting PET fibers. The results indicate that by grafting with CS and immobilizing with ChS, PET fibers can not only exhibit antibacterial activity, but also improve the cell proliferation for fibroblast activity. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.