Open Access Library Journal 2018, Volume 5, e4336 ISSN Online: 2333-9721 ISSN Print: 2333-9705 DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1104336 Jan. 30, 2018 1 Open Access Library Journal Characterization of Chitosan Membranes Crosslinked by Sulfuric Acid Thiago B. Fideles 1* , José Luis Santos 2 , Helena Tomás 2 , Glória T. F. S. Furtado 1 , Daniel B. Lima 1 , Silvia M. P. Borges 1 , Marcus V. L. Fook 1 1 Laboratory of Biomaterials Evaluation and Development-CERTBIO, Materials Engineering Department, Campina Grande Federal University, Campina Grande, Brazil 2 Centro de Química da Madeira, MMRG, Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal Abstract Development of novel biomaterials and its practical application have been the subject of much research in the field of scaffolds for tissue engineering, pro- viding the success of producing scaffolds biomaterials that facilitate tissue growth and provide structure support for cells. Due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability, chitosan has been the focus of several researches in re- cent years to be applied in the biomedical field and chemical modifications of chitosan through crosslinks can produce materials with a wide variety of properties. The objective of this study was to obtain and characterize, chemi- cally and biologically, ionically crosslinked chitosan membranes. Chitosan membranes were prepared by solvent evaporation and the crosslinks were introduced by reaction with sulfuric acid solution. The cross-linked mem- branes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray dif- fraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Dispersive Energy Spectroscopy (EDX) and contact angle measurements. The biologi- cal assays of the membranes were performed with NIH 3T3 cells in two steps: evaluation of cytotoxicity by indirect contact of the cells with the ex- tracts of the chitosan membranes and finally with the direct contact of the cells on the filaments of chitosan to obtain adhesion and cell proliferation information. Non-crosslinked membranes of chitosan were used as controls for all assays. With the physicochemical tests, it was possible to observe an ef- fective crosslinking reaction in chitosan. Biological assays have revealed that the membranes are non-cytotoxic but must still be modified to provide cell adhesion and proliferation. Subject Areas Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biological Materials, Cell Biology How to cite this paper: Fideles, T. B., San- tos, J.L., Tomás, H., Furtado, G.T.F.S., Lima, D.B., Borges, S.M.P. and Fook, M.V.L. (2018) Characterization of Chitosan Mem- branes Crosslinked by Sulfuric Acid. Open Access Library Journal, 5: e4336. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104336 Received: January 13, 2018 Accepted: January 27, 2018 Published: January 30, 2018 Copyright © 2018 by authors and Open Access Library Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access