Influence of the degree of acetylation on some biological properties of chitosan films

In this study, we investigated in vitro the role of the degree of acetylati on (DA) on some biological properties of chitosan films. We noticed that, w hatever the DA, all chitosan films were cytocompatible towards keratinocyte s and fibroblasts. We also demonstrated that the higher the DA of chitosan, the lower was the cell adhesion on the films. Fibroblasts appear to adhere twice as much as keratinocytes on these materials. We observed that kerati nocyte proliferation increases when the DA of chitosan films decreases. Thu s, DA influences the cell growth in the same way as cell adhesion. On the o ther hand, although they remain alive, fibroblasts do not proliferate on ch itosan films. This behaviour is related to an extremely high adhesion on th is kind of material, which certainly inhibits cell growth. In conclusion, D A plays a key role in cell adhesion and proliferation, but does not change the cytocompatibility of chitosan. In parallel, it is also important to not ice the role played by the surface morphology of the material, a second maj or parameter which influences the mechanism of adhesion. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.