Optimization of the properties of chitosan lactate/hyaluronan film

Abstract

Polyelectrolyte complexes represent attractive class of polymer-based materials, finding an irreplaceable role in biomaterial preparation for tissue engineering or drug delivery beads. Mechanical properties, physical properties, and enzymatic degradation of the film prepared from chitosan lactate/hyaluronan polyelectrolyte complex, crosslinked with starch dialdehyde derivatives, were studied to optimize its composition. This work represents an example demonstrating how a minor modification of the modified complex composition changes final properties of the prepared film and emphasizes enormous variations in complex formation by crosslinking. To obtain sufficiently useful information, experimental design was employed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.