Insights into the Physicochemical Characteristics and Miscibility of Chitosan/Polypeptide Blends: Promising Material for Wound Healing in Sprague–Dawley Rats

Abstract

In this study, the synthesis of poly(AVGVP) [where A-Alanine, V-Valine, G-Glycine, and P-Proline] is executed by the stepwise solution phase method. The interaction between Chitosan and synthetic polypentapeptide in blends was examined in the liquid and solid phases. Viscosity criteria that establish the total miscibility with Chitosan are the Δ[η]_m, the intrinsic viscosity [η], Huggins coefficient [K_H], by Garcia ΔB, α by Sun, and μ suggested by Chee, ΔK, and β buttressed by Jiang and Han. Besides, the results are corroborated in the solid phase by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Miscibility in the blends led to higher thermal stability than that of pure polymers, according to thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In vitro, studies offered the absence of cytotoxicity, and in vivo histopathological results advocated that the blend shows less inflammation and is more compact as against cotton gauge, evincing an enhanced healing environment and promising the possibility of use in wound therapeutic applications.