Creation of Ionically Crosslinked Tri-Layered Chitosan Membranes to Simulate Different Human Skin Properties

Abstract

In 2023, new legislation will ban the use of animals in the cosmetic industry worldwide. This fact, together with ethical considerations concerning the use of animals or humans in scientific research, highlights the need to propose new alternatives for replacing their use. The aim of this study is to create a tri-layered chitosan membrane ionically crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) in order to simulate the number of layers in human skin. The current article highlights the creation of a membrane where pores were induced by a novel method. Swelling index, pore creation, and mechanical property measurements revealed that the swelling index of chitosan membranes decreased and, their pore formation and elasticity increased with an increase in the Deacetylation Grade (DDA). Additionally, the results demonstrate that chitosan’s origin can influence the elastic modulus value and reproducibility, with higher values being obtained with seashell than snow crab or shrimp shells. Furthermore, the data show that the addition of each layer, until reaching three layers, increases the elastic modulus. Moreover, if layers are crosslinked, the elastic modulus increases to a much greater extent. The characterization of three kinds of chitosan membranes was performed to find the most suitable material for studying different human skin properties.

Study of Elastin, Hydrolyzed Collagen and Collagen-like Products in a Tri-Layered Chitosan Membrane to Test Anti-Aging Skin Properties

“…The membrane preparation was conducted at room temperature (21 ± 2 • C). The preparation of a tri-layered membrane consisted of creating three layers, as previously described [7]. The difference in this work was the addition of the solution containing the active ingredient, or Veg Col product, to 3L or 2L (i+b) .…”

“…In this work, two kinds of membranes were tested: a base membrane and an activated membrane. In the second case, pores were mechanically created, as was already reported [ 7 ].…”

“…In our previous work [ 7 ], a tri-layered chitosan membrane that was ionically crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) was created as a physical model in an attempt to simulate different skin layers with the aim of providing similar results to those obtained with human skin, but with strong simplifications. The use of living cells was avoided, as there was no goal of reproducing the conditions and complexity of human skin.…”

Chitosan/Alginate Hydrogel Dressing Loaded FGF/VE-Cadherin to Accelerate Full-Thickness Skin Regeneration and More Normal Skin Repairs

“…An ideal skin wound dressing should meet the requirements below: sufficient mechanical strength, good moisture retention, appropriate surface microstructure, excellent tissue compatibility [4]. A variety of biomedical materials can be served as wound dressings, such as fibrous [5] membranes [6], polymer and polysaccharide scaffolds [7], nanoparticles [8], and hydrogels [9]. Compared with other dressing materials, hydrogels dressings [10,11] are attracting increasing attention due to their adjustable physicochemical properties, similar to ECM, able to modulate the fluid balance and accelerate wound repair [12,13].…”

Chitosan/alginate Hydrogel Dressing Loaded FGF/VE-cadherin: To Accelerate Full-thickness Skin Regeneration and More Normal Skin Repairs

“…An ideal skin wound dressing should meet the requirements below: sufficient mechanical strength, good moisture retention, appropriate surface microstructure, excellent tissue compatibility [4]. A variety of biomedical materials can be served as wound dressings, such as fibrous [5] membranes [6], polymer and polysaccharide scaffolds [7],…”