A biomimetic strategy for controllable degradation of chitosan scaffolds

Controllable degradation of scaffolds plays an important role in tissue engineering applications. Here, we describe a biomimetic approach to control chitosan scaffold degradation by incorporating lysozyme-loaded poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres in 3D chitosan scaffolds. In vitro degradation tests reveal that the degradation rate increased when the mass ratio of microspheres-to-chitosan increased whereas the contrast group showed a visible turning point at 28d. In vivo degradation rate was much faster than that in vitro, and the relationship between in vitro degradation and in vivo degradation was correlative. Finally, for determining the primary biocompatibility of the combined scaffolds, studies such as cytotoxicity assay, cell attachment study and histological evaluation were carried out. It is concluded that the combination method of enzyme and scaffold is suitable for chitosan scaffold degradation; it also demonstrates an alternative strategy for other biomaterials used in tissue engineering.