Fabrication and characterization of PVA/Collagen/Gelatin scaffold for microtia reconstruction

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is commonly used as a scaffold in tissue engineering applications. However, PVA has limitations in achieving mechanical properties that are suitable for natural cartilage. Collagen and gelatin are natural polymers with biocompatible, biodegradable properties, and low immune reactions. In the study, PVA/collagen/gelatin (PVA/Coll/Gel) were developed for microtia reconstruction. The effects of adding collagen of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% on the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, microstructure, elastic modulus, and swelling properties of PVA/Coll/Gel were characterized and optimized. The results of the XRD analysis showed that the phase transitioned from semi-crystalline to amorphous in the PVA/Coll/Gel scaffold containing 20% and 25% collagen. The developed composites with 15%, 20% and 25% collagen have the similar mechanical strength to that of human auricular cartilage. The PVA/Coll 5%/Gel scaffold with the largest pore size (∼66.47 μm) exhibits the highest swelling rate compared to the other groups. The results suggested that PVA/Coll/Gel scaffold with tunable properties might have potential applications for microtia reconstruction.