Chitosan-polycaprolactone blend sponges for management of chronic osteomyelitis: A preliminary characterization and in vitro evaluation.

Blending two polymers is an effective technique to obtain a novel material with desirable properties. Chitosan (CH) has limited applications in tissue engineering owing to its poor mechanical strength in a wet state. Polycaprolactone (PCL) has low toxicity with good mechanical strength and controlled release properties, but lack cell recognition signals. Thus, the blending of CH and PCL (CH/PCL) polymers would provide a better biomaterial required for the management of chronic osteomyelitis (OM) after surgical debridement possessing superior physicomechanical and controlled release properties. Herein, blend sponges using different ratios of CH and PCL, i.e., 100%CH/00%PCL, 75%CH/25%PCL, 50%CH/50%PCL and 25%CH/75%PCL were prepared, which are denoted as 100CH/00PCL, 75CH/25PCL, 50CH/50PCL and 25CH/75PCL, respectively. These blend sponges were characterized using FTIR, XRD, DSC, SEM, and contact angle. The results revealed that CH and PCL polymers were well dispersed in a blend at a molecular level without any chemical interactions. Blend sponges were loaded with ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) and ibuprofen. Further, in vitro efficacy of drug-loaded blend sponges was evaluated for drug release, antibacterial potential, and anti-inflammatory activity. Amongst four blend sponges, the 75CH/25PCL sponge demonstrated the controlled release of ibuprofen and an ideal release profile of CIP along with potential antibacterial as well as anti-inflammatory activity over the study period. Thus, it can be concluded that the 75CH/25PCL sponge is a promising candidate for the management of chronic OM after surgical debridement.