Development of N,O-(carboxymethyl)chitosan/collagen matrixes as a wound dressing.

In an attempt to accelerate wound healing by stimulating the recruitment of fibroblasts and improve the mechanical properties of collagen matrixes, N,O-(carboxymethyl)chitosan (NOCC) was incorporated into the backbone of a collagen (COL) matrix without or with chondroitin sulfate (CS) or an acellular dermal matrix (ADM). The result of a cell migration study demonstrated that the migration of fibroblasts was significantly enhanced by NOCC in a concentration-dependent manner. In the analysis with a dynamic mechanical analyzer, NOCC/CS/COL matrixes presented higher tensile strengths than did NOCC/ADM/COL matrixes. Skin fibroblasts cultured on the matrixes containing NOCC showed increased proliferation and secretion of three kinds of cytokines compared with the control. Results of the in vivo wound healing study showed that matrixes incorporating NOCC showed markedly enhanced wound healing compared with the control. Therefore, the above results clearly suggest that NOCC/COL matrixes containing CS or ADM can be potential wound dressings for clinical applications.