Novel melt-down neutralization method for synthesis of chitosan–silver scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

The synthesis of chitosan–silver scaffolds (CS–Ag) by a novel method of melt-down neutralization, followed by solvent curing and freeze drying techniques is reported. The slow and steady melting of the frozen chitosan allows uniform neutralization. The scaffolds were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Enzymatic degradation of the scaffold was studied using lysozyme. Silver release studies showed that there was a slow and sustained release of silver and these CS–Ag scaffolds exhibited antibacterial properties against representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Biocompatibility studies of the CS–Ag scaffolds on keratinocytes (HaCaT) showed growth and proliferation without exhibiting any toxicity. These CS–Ag scaffolds are proposed as promising candidates for tissue engineering applications.