SYNTHESIS AND POTENTIAL CYTOTOXICITY EVALUATION OF CARBOXYMETHYL CHITOSAN HYDROGELS

The aim of the research was to employ radiation to produce flexible carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) based hydrogels of uniform structure to characterise their swelling properties and cytocompatibility for potential applications as hydrogel wound dressings. CMCS in aqueous solution was irradiated with an electron beam in the presence of a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) macromonomer as a crosslinker, at 12 different compositions, i.e. 3–20% CMCS, 3 and 5% PEGDA. The obtained hydrogels were subjected to sol–gel analysis. The amount of insoluble fraction (up to 100%) rose with an increase in the PEGDA/polysaccharide ratio. Moreover, the equilibrium degree of swelling, ca. 15 to 200 g of water per g of gel, which was higher for lower content of crosslinker, decreased with the delivered dose, which was associated with an increase in crosslinking density. The in vitro XTT cell viability assay (murine fibroblasts, L929 cell line) showed no significant cytotoxicity of CMCS gels.