Crosslinking Reaction of Chitosan and Gelatin with Genipin

Chitosan and gelatin have good biocompatibility.However,sometimes their mechanical performances cannot match the requirement for medical implanted materials.Crosslinking is a usual effective method to enhance the mechanical strength of polymers.The conventional crosslinkers of chitosan or gelatin are aldehydes,but their physiological toxicities limit the application of chitosan and gelatin.Here genipin, a biocrosslinker,was selected to take the place of aldehyde.The crosslinking mechanism and kinetics of chitosan and genipin were investigated by UV spectra, and the corresponding models were established especially.The mechanical properties,swelling degree and degradation behaviors of the chitosan-genipin and chitosan-gelatin-genipin gels were also researched.Results show that the mechanical performance of chitosan-gelatin complex system crosslinked by genipin could be improved in a certain range by changing the crosslinking degree.