Abstract
The PVA-CS hydrogels in the research is prepared by use of glutaraldehyde, the cross-linking agent. The obtained hydrogels, holding both advantages of PVA and CS, are expected to be the scaffolds of tissue engineering.The PVA-CS hydrogels should be successfully prepared according to the evidence of IR, Solid NMR and the slide of scaffold. In terms of physical properties, the swelling ratio increased as the amount of CS; the addition of CS weakened the scaffold and led to the smaller stretching modulus; the heat stability of PVA-CS slightly dropped as compared with PVA.The PVA-CS hydrogels not only promote cell adsorption, but also cell growth. The cells adhered to the CS20 hydrogel connected together and formed a dense sheet of cells. The cell number of CS20 hydrogel was 2.56 times PVA hydrogel, hydrophilic and unfavorable for cell adhesion. Cell test shows that CS involved in the scaffolds effectively promote the growth of BHK cells on the surface.CS really enhances the interaction between cells and scaffold and reaches the goal of promoting cell growth. Further, the strength of PVA itself also affords the scaffolds enough mechanical properties for cell culture in vitro. As a result of tests above, the PVA-CS hydrogels have the potential for tissue engineering.