Transferable crosslinked chitosan membranes for human melanocyte culture

Abstract Development of transferable biocompatible membranes, which can be used for melanocyte culture and transplantation, is considered a feasible approach to increase the success rate for vitiliginous treatment. In this study, a crosslinked chitosan membrane (CCM) was produced via physical crosslinking of chitosan with sodium sulfate. The physical and mechanical properties as well as growth and phenotype expression of melanocytes on the CCM were investigated. The CCM supported growth and proliferation of melanocytes with the existence of melanin granules in the cytoplasm. The melanocytes remained active after transplantation. The CCM absorbed water approximately doubled from its original weight and permitted ∼2400 g/m² per day of water vapor transmission, suggesting that the CCM can function as an efficient wound dressing. Dynamic mechanical and tensile measurement results showed that the CCM possessed favorable wet strength for cell culture, separation, transfer, and transplantation application. This transferable CCM has the potential to be applied for vitiligo treatment. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012.