Influence of the Properties of Chitosan Sponges on the Accumulation and Release of C-Phycocyanin

Damage to skin and subsequent wound healing are complex multistage biological processes that are inextricably linked with almost any human activity. That is why the search for biodegradable, inexpensive, and accessible materials to create wound dressings that are effective in healing and biocompatible continues. This work shows the influence of the properties of porous materials based on chitosan on the processes of incorporation and release of C-phycocyanin (C-PC), which is obtained from the biomass of the cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis in in vitro experiments. Thus, the entry efficiency of C-PC exceeds 90% for sponges obtained from both studied chitosans, but the profiles of the incorporation process curves differ significantly. Furthermore, the maximum load capacity is 171.75 ± 1.47 and 184.03 ± 3.64 mg/g for chitosan sponges with different degrees of deacetylation. Evaluation of the C-PC release from the porous matrix also reveals significant differences. Within 24 h, more than 80 and 65% of the loaded C-PC is released from the chitosan sponges, depending on the degree of deacetylation of the initial sponge material. As a result of the studies, it is established that by correctly selecting the characteristics of the initial chitosans, it is possible to optimize the process of C-PC release from porous wound dressings.