Green Foaming of Biologically Extracted Chitin Hydrogels Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide for Scaffolding of Human Osteoblasts
Mariana Quintana-Quirino,
Adriana Hernández-Rangel,
Phaedra Silva-Bermudez,
Julieta García-López,
Víctor Manuel Domínguez-Hernández,
Victor Manuel Araujo Monsalvo,
Miquel Gimeno,
Keiko Shirai
Affiliations
Mariana Quintana-Quirino
Laboratory of Biopolymers and Pilot Plant of Bioprocessing of Agro-Industrial and Food By-Products, Biotechnology Department, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City 09340, Mexico
Adriana Hernández-Rangel
Laboratory of Biopolymers and Pilot Plant of Bioprocessing of Agro-Industrial and Food By-Products, Biotechnology Department, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City 09340, Mexico
Phaedra Silva-Bermudez
Tissue Engineering, Cellular Therapy and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación “Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra”, Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Julieta García-López
Tissue Engineering, Cellular Therapy and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación “Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra”, Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Víctor Manuel Domínguez-Hernández
Biomechanics Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación “Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra”, Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Victor Manuel Araujo Monsalvo
Biomechanics Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación “Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra”, Mexico City 14389, Mexico
Miquel Gimeno
Food and Biotechnology Department, Chemistry Faculty, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Keiko Shirai
Laboratory of Biopolymers and Pilot Plant of Bioprocessing of Agro-Industrial and Food By-Products, Biotechnology Department, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City 09340, Mexico
Chitin is a structural polysaccharide abundant in the biosphere. Chitin possesses a highly ordered crystalline structure that makes its processing a challenge. In this study, chitin hydrogels and methanogels, prepared by dissolution in calcium chloride/methanol, were subjected to supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) to produce porous materials for use as scaffolds for osteoblasts. The control of the morphology, porosity, and physicochemical properties of the produced materials was performed according to the operational conditions, as well as the co-solvent addition. The dissolution of CO2 in methanol co-solvent improved the sorption of the compressed fluid into the hydrogel, rendering highly porous chitin scaffolds. The chitin crystallinity index significantly decreased after processing the hydrogel in supercritical conditions, with a significant effect on its swelling capacity. The use of scCO2 with methanol co-solvent resulted in chitin scaffolds with characteristics adequate to the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts.