Structure-properties relationship of chitosan/collagen films with potential for biomedical applications

Chitosan/collagen films were developed and characterized in order to assess the suitability of these films for biomedical applications. Hence, physicochemical, thermal, barrier and mechanical properties were analyzed and related to the film structure, which showed the prevalence of the triple helix of native collagen after the addition of chitosan. Furthermore, collagen fiber diameter changed from 3.9 +/- 0.6 mu m for collagen films without chitosan, to 1.8 +/- 0.5 mu m, for collagen films with low molecular weight chitosan. These results suggested in- teractions between collagen and chitosan molecules, as observed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Regarding film barrier properties, chitosan/collagen films showed a water vapor transmission rate around 1174 g M-2 day(-1), suitable for biomedical applications such as wound healing. Additionally, biological tests confirmed that the chitosan/collagen films developed are suitable for biomedical applications.