Chitosan–acrylic acid biomaterial with an antimicrobial nature supports biomineralization and is suitable for bone tissue regeneration

Abstract

Rapid increases in different pathophysiologies in mineralized tissues have imposed demands on biomaterials of natural origin to act as a surface for the regeneration of fully functional tissue. It has been reported that chitosan-based biomaterials are biocompatible, biodegradable, nontoxic, and also have antibacterial properties. However, due to the insoluble nature of chitosan, for biomaterial synthesis it needs to be dissolved in an acidic medium followed by pH neutralization. The objective of this study was to synthesize a chitosan-based biomaterial without the use of any acidic medium, followed by modification with acrylic acid in different w/v ratios. The synthesized biomaterial, i.e. chitosan–acrylic acid (chitosan–AA) shows uniform dispersion in water. It was further characterized for various physicochemical properties. The obtained results indicate successful modification of the polymer, exhibiting a porous nature with a high swelling index. It shows biocompatibility against different osteogenic cell lines and supports biomineralization by osteoblasts under osteo-inductive conditions. No hemolytic effect was observed in response to the biomaterial even after prolonged exposure to blood cells. We also show that the synthesized material can be used for controlled drug release. This work demonstrates that the biomaterial can be used as a suitable surface for the adhesion and proliferation of bone cells in vitro.