Biomedical applications of chitin hydrogel membranes and scaffolds

Chitin is a non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible natural polymer. It is used in several biomedical applications. Chitin is insoluble in most of the organic solvents due to its rigid crystalline structure. However, it can be dissolved in calcium chloride dehydrate methanol (Ca solvent) solvent system. The α- and β-chitin hydrogels can easily be developed using the Ca solvent system. Using these hydrogels, it is able to develop scaffolds and membranes for the variety of biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and wound dressing. In this paper, we present the preparation and biomedical applications of chitin hydrogel membranes and scaffolds.