Antibacterial, mechanical and physical properties of collagen - chitosan sponges from aquatic source

Abstract Collagen and chitosan, used for the preparation of sponges, were isolated from the residues of aquatic origin, and co-adjuvant material alginate was added. All sponges are light-colored, but those formulated with chitosan have a yellow hue. The chemical interaction between the components was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The porosity of the sponges is in the range from 88 to 95%. The sponges based on collagen/chitosan/alginate exhibited the highest capacity for absorption in water at 25 °C, with values of up to 2838%. Collagen-chitosan sponges have less rigidity and mechanical strength than collagen-alginate sponges. Collagen-alginate sponges contained the highest maximum stress and Young's modulus, with values of 0.5463 MPa and 0.0086 MPa, respectively. Collagen sponges with chitosan have a greater elongation at break (6.1566%). The sponges with the highest antimicrobial activity were collagen-chitosan mixtures, with inhibition zones of up to 46.62% against Staphylococcus aureus. We anticipate that the sponges based on fish collagen and shrimp chitosan can serve as an alternative of biomaterial for the healing of cutaneous wounds due to their mechanical and antibacterial properties.