Development of reinforced aldehyde-modified kappa-carrageenan/gelatin film by incorporation of halloysite nanotubes for biomedical applications

Recently, with the progression in tissue engineering, the importance of biocompatible nanocomposite film with suitable properties for potential applications in the biomedical area has been more developed. In this work, nanocomposite films of aldehyde-modified Carrageenan/Gelatin/halloysite nanotubes (AD-Carr/Gel/HNTs) nanocomposite films were successfully fabricated by the solution casting process. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%) loaded into the aldehyde-modified Carrageenan/Gelatin (AD-Carr/Gel). Meanwhile, the developed AD-Carr/Gel/HNTs nanocomposite films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical property, water adsorption as well as in vitro degradation. The feasibility and capability of the nanocomposite films were further evaluated by hemocompatibility study, which showed that these nanocomposite films are hemocompatible. Besides, MTT assay revealed that the nanocomposite films are non-toxic, presenting the films as a good candidate to be used for tissue engineering purposes.