Fish collagen and chitosan mixtures as a promising biomaterial for potential use in medicine and cosmetic industry

For the last three decades, an increasing interest in new materials based on blends of two or more polymers has been observed. Fish skin collagen and chitosan are constantly highly popular among scientists. This study aimed to obtain thin films from mixtures of low and medium molecular weight chitosan with fish collagen in three different ratios and examine their features for potential use in medicine and cosmetic industry. Polymer blends in ratios 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25 were made to obtain thin films. The infrared spectroscopy, mechanical properties study, contact angle measurements, topographic imaging, and swelling test were used to characterize the features of the films. A statistical appraisal of the results was conducted with the Q-Dixon’s test. The infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that in the IR spectra of the examined biomaterials, there are shifts in the bands positions proving intermolecular interactions between collagen and chitosan in the blends. The mechanical properties in the mixtures were different from those of a single biopolymer film. Hydrophilicity and polarity of the blends decrease with the increasing collagen content, which may suggest that the adhesion to the skin will be enhanced. The surface topography of the obtained films varies depending on the ratio of biopolymers in the mixtures. The swelling tests indicated that chitosan absorbs more water than collagen. The properties of the films made of collagen-chitosan mixtures vary depending on the molecular weight of chitosan and the content of each biopolymer in the blend.