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Abstract
Tissue engineering is a promising biomedical field concerned
with providing biological substitutes to replace lost or failing
tissues and organs. It involves isolating cells from an individual
and seeding them in vitro on a porous biodegradable structure
called “scaffold”. The scaffold-cell construct is then implanted in
vivo where the cells proliferate while secreting their own
extracellular matrix. Meanwhile, the scaffold gradually
degrades until it becomes wholly replaced by the new tissue. It
is evident that the choice of the appropriate scaffold material,
whether polymer, ceramic or a combination of both, is crucial
for the success of tissue engineering. Although several polymers
have been used in tissue engineering, no single polymer has yet
been found to fulfill all the requirements needed in a scaffold
material.
Thus, the aim of the present study was to develop and
evaluate a new hybrid tissue engineering hydrogel scaffold that
combines the advantages of two natural polymers: chitosan and
cellulose. Chitosan, the main ingredient in the prepared
scaffold, is a natural polcationic polymer that possesses
antibacterial, hemostatic and bioadhesive properties. However,
it has relatively low mechanical properties and rapid
biodegradation. On the contrary, cellulose, which is the most
abundant natural polymer on earth, exhibits relatively high
mechanical properties and low biodegradation rate.