FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATIONS OF GELATIN/CHITOSAN WITH ALOE VERA AND ACHATINA FULICA SP MUCUS AS SCAFFOLD FOR SKIN TISSUE ENGINEERING

Scaffold is a biomaterial widely used in tissue engineering. Scaffold is temporary porous structure which contain extracellular matrix. It serves as scaffolding which is required for cells infiltration and physical support to guide the cell proliferation and differentiation into the targeted functional tissues. Scaffold must be biocompatible, small pore size, flexible and support regenerative application. Aloe vera as natural resource, it has capability in accelerating wound healing, facilitating the inflammation, increasing wound contraction and epithelialization, and increasing organization of the regenerated tissue. Snail mucus (SM) has capability in inhibiting bacterial growth. This study aims to synthesize and characterize a scaffold made of gelatin-chitosan-Aloe vera (AV) - Achatina fulica sp mucus. The method is to synthesize scaffold with its compositions, gelatinchitosan (1: 1 ratio) which is dissolved into 0.05 M acetic acid, then a variation of Abe vera (AV) and snail mucus (SM) at 0% AV; 0% SM; 0.07 AV; 0.07 SM; 0.15 AV; 0.15 SM; 0.07 AV; 0.15 SM; 0.15 AV; 0.007 SM were mixed with the chitosan-gelatin solution, then used freeze dry method to obtain porous scaffold. Characterization which performed in this research including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), porosity test, tensile strength test, swelling test, and degradation test. Based on FTIR test, Abe vera and snail mucus interacted with free amino and hydroxyl groups of chitosan and gelatin, characterized by absorption bands at 2937.59 cm-1 wave numbers which are symmetrical and asymmetrical stretching of (-CH) .SEM test results obtained pore size of 70 - 235 mu m. Porosity test results showed that five scaffolds have porosity value of 87-96%; thus, allowing the process of cell proliferation to occur well. The result of physical characteristic test yielded tensile strength of 1.425 MPa on gelatin-chitosan as control sample and 0.732 MPa for sample with 0.15% AV and 0.15% SM. Swelling test showed a variation of scaffold composition with Aloe vera with Achatina fulica sp's mucus having a swelling percentage of 200-520%. The degradation test results showed that the whole sample was not depleted for 21 days; thus, giving time for cell regeneration. Sample with 0.15% Aloe vera and 0.07% snail mucus has some potentials as scaffolds for skin tissue in case of burns wound, due to its morfology, porosity, and degradation.