Development and characterisation of collagen-chondroitin sulphate scaffold from slaughterhouse by-products for wound healing applications

Abstract

Collagen and chondroitin sulphate were extracted from chicken skin and buffalo trachea respectively which were then fabricated into a composite scaffold. Two types of scaffolds were prepared, collagen only scaffold (CS) and collagen-Chondroitin Sulphate Composite Scaffold (CCS). The scaffolds were characterised for porosity, water uptake capacity, in vitro enzymatic degradation, tensile strength, and cytocompatibility. It exhibited higher overall porosity and a significantly enhanced water uptake capacity at all-time intervals (p<0.01), reaching 82.22% after 24 hours versus 46.93% for the CS. In lysozyme solution, both CS and CCS possess comparable resistance to lysozyme activity. The tensile strength of the CCS (1.77±0.09 MPa) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the CS (1.18±0.09 MPa). Most importantly, the MTT assay confirmed that both scaffolds were cytocompatible, with cell viability being higher in CCS (84.47%) than CS (77.25%). The incorporation of chondroitin sulphate significantly improved the scaffold's mechanical properties and a higher cytocompatibility. CCS demonstrated properties that would make it potentially superior in respect of wound healing capacity, compared to the CS. Thus, CCS was found to be a more ideal candidate for use in wound healing than CS. This study successfully valorises slaughterhouse waste into a value-added biomaterial, presenting CCS as a promising candidate for advanced wound dressings, warranting further investigation through in vivo trials.