Preparation and biocompatibility study of gelatin/kappa-carrageenan scaffolds

Novel porous scaffolds composed of gelatin/ κ -carrageenan (GC) were fabricated by freeze-drying followed by chemical cross-linking with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC). The morphology of the insoluble GC sponges was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The porosity of the GC sponge increased with increasing kappa-carrageenan content. Implantation of a GC sponge into the subcutaneous connective tissue of Wistar rats confirmed that the scaffold was biodegradable. Fibroblasts infiltrated into the sponge matrix, and regenerated collagen in the matrix to a level of 25% at 14 days after surgery. The C-reactive protein level in the blood samples also showed a similar result. The blood and histological results show that the GC sponges have good biocompatibility and low antigenicity indicating that they would be safe and effective tissue engineering scaffolds.