Surface modification of film chitosan materials with aldehydes for wettability and biodegradation control

Chitosan is one of the prospective polymers for use in regenerative medicine which has unique properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor potency. In this article, we study the peculiarities of the surface modification of chitosan films with carbonyl-containing compounds, which differed both in molecular characteristics and in their hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The potential for controlling the biodegradation of the resulting materials has been established, which can be used in the creation of wound dressings. Both the destruction time and lyophilic properties of the surface depend on the length of the modifier's hydrocarbon radical. The contact angle and water absorption of obtained film materials correlate with hydrophobicity, which estimated by the calculated value of the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. The cytotoxicity of modified chitosan films was studied, and it was found that they are non-toxic (cytotoxic index of < 50%) for human skin cell cultures, which shows their potential for use in the creation of materials for skin protection and external wound healing.