Fabrication and Biocompatibility Evaluation of Polymeric Membranes based on Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS)/Poly (Carbonate-Urea) Urethane (PCU) Nanocomposite

This study aims to characterize and evaluate the applicability of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS)/ Poly (carbonate-urea) Urethane (PCU) nanocomposite films as a temporary skin substitute by means of FTIR, MTT assay, cell proliferation assay and SEM studies. FTIR spectra showed all the characteristic peaks of POSS/PCU nanocomposite. The indirect cytotoxicity of membranes was investigated by MTT assay. In MTT test, L929 mouse fibroblasts were exposed to the extract of the films for 24 h. MTT results showed no sign of cell cytotoxicity for the extracts at the extraction times up to14 days.Menwhile, it was found that POSS nanocages have a stimulating effect on L929s. In cell proliferation assay, L929s were cultured on the films for 3, 7 and 14 days. The cells showed a high rate of proliferation in direct contact with the biomaterial after 7 and 14 days. Morphology and density of the cells on the nancomposite surface was investigated through SEM observations. SEM micrographs showed that the cells adhered well on the surface after 3 days of culture. Moreover, after 7 days, cell density increased so substantially that a cell layer was formed on the membranes.