Enhancement of biocompatibility of PVA/HTCC blend polymer with collagen for skin care application

A biocompatible synthetic polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and a water-soluble derivative of chitosan, (N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethyl-ammonium)-propyl] chitosan chloride) (HTCC), were blended and electrospun to develop a scaffold with good biocompatibility and mechanical properties in order to mimic skin. The optimum conditions to prepare PVA/HTCC fibers with minimum diameter determined as 80/20 and 13 kV. Then collagen, the most abundant material in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of skin, was co-electrospun with PVA/HTCC (80/20). Using HTTC provided excellent antibacterial properties (>99.9%). Also crosslinking improved all mechanical properties of the scaffold, except strain at break. The crosslinked PVA/HTCC (80/20) scaffold showed desirable cell attachment and proliferation. Addition of collagen improved its biocompatibility. As a result, the scaffold showed desirable mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility close to those of human skin.