Abstract
Biocompatible and polymerizable natural macromolecules have been found to provide great advantages in the preparation of hydrogels, which have wide applications in the fields of tissue engineering and polymeric drug delivery systems. To develop a new biocompatible polymerizable chitosan derivative, N‐maleic acyl‐chitosan (NMCS) was synthesized in this study. This novel biomaterial was designed from the N‐acylation of chitosan with maleic anhydride introducing functional carboxyl and vinylated (CC) groups. The structure of NMCS was characterized by FTIR, ^1^H NMR, element analysis, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). NMCS can be dissolved into water because of its decreased crystallinity compared with chitosan. The NMCS's multiporous and microgel morphology was revealed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Crosslinked hydrogel films can be successfully obtain through the macromolecular polymerization of NMCS. Subsequently, 3T3 fibroblasts were cultured onto the surface of the polymerized NMCS (P‐NMCS) films to examine the capability of cell attachment and proliferation. Results from the cell culture demonstrate that P‐NMCS films provide significant improvement in cell attachment and proliferation over unmodified chitosan. The improved P‐NMCS cytocompatibility is expected to provide substantial contributions to tissue engineering in the future. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2008