Construction of collagen/nanocrystalline cellulose based-hydrogel scaffolds: synthesis, characterization, and mechanical properties evaluation

Tissue defects were treated by invasive processes such as implanting the scaffold to the defected area. Hydrogel scaffolds with the well-defined internal structure are significant for tissue engineering. In this work, preparation and characterization of hydrogels based on collagen and modified nanocrystalline cellulose (CNCs) have been reported. The surface morphology of hydrogels with different ratios of CNCs has been determined. The effects of polymer ratio on the resulting hydrogels, such as pore morphology, swelling ratio, degradation rate and mechanical properties were examined for a possible non-aggressive tissue engineering application. Subsequently, studies on cytotoxicity of hydrogels to fibroblasts have been defined.