Preclinical assessment of chitosan–polyvinyl alcohol–graphene oxide nanocomposite scaffolds as a wound dressing

Abstract

The present research aimed to examine the biological properties of chitosan (CS)–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) scaffolds reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, as wound dressings. The scaffolds were characterized by various techniques. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetry analyses (TGAs) were used to investigate distribution of the GO within the polymer. The viscoelastic properties were evaluated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) to examine the quality of a wound dressing. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to assess the biocompatibility of the scaffolds as wound dressing. The cell viability and proliferation results indicated that mouse fibroblast cells (L929) could adhere on the 50CS–50PVA/3 wt% GO scaffold. Herewith, the fabricated CS–PVA–GO nanocomposite scaffolds are suggested as promising biomaterials for skin tissue engineering and wound dressing.