Morphology controllable nanostructured chitosan matrix and its cytocompatibility.

Abstract

It is becoming clear that surface nanotopography of underlying substrates can influence cell behavior such as adhesion, proliferation, and orientation of mammalian cells. Nanofabrication methods such as electron beam lithography are, however, expensive and time consuming. In this study, a simple and cost-effective approach, heterogeneous seeded growth, was developed to create nanostructured chitosan matrix (CSM) from amorphous chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs). The physiochemical properties of CSM were characterized followed by an evaluation of CSM cytocompatibility. Shape-controllable morphology of CSM from nanoparticles to three-dimensional urchin-like architectures was achieved by using varying amounts of seeds. CSM was found to be cytocompatible with human foreskin fibroblasts suggesting that the nanofibrous surface morphology and crystalline structure of CSM could favor cell spread and growth.