Physical properties and biocompatibility of cellulose/soy protein isolate membranes coagulated from acetic aqueous solution

A series of cellulose/soy protein isolate (SPI) membranes was prepared from cellulose and SPI solution by casting and coagulation from 5 wt% acetic acid and 5 wt% sulphuric acid aqueous solution, respectively. The structure and properties of the membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and tensile testing. The effects of SPI content (W(SPI)) and the coagulants on the structure and properties of the membranes were investigated. The membranes exhibited porous structure. The pore size in the surfaces and cross-sections of the membranes increased with an increase of W(SPI) regardless of the coagulants. The membranes containing 10 wt% W(SPI) showed higher tensile strength and elongation at break than other membranes. The membranes with the same W(SPI) coagulated from acetic acid solution exhibited higher values of tensile strength, elongation at break and pore size in the surfaces and cross-sections than those corresponding membranes coagulated from sulphuric acid. The biocompatibility of the acetic acid-coagulated membranes was preliminarily evaluated by cell culture and in vivo implantation experiments. The results revealed that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECV304) grew well on this biomaterial. In comparison with the pure cellulose membrane, because of the incorporation of SPI and the resultant alteration of microstructure, the SPI-modified membranes showed an improved in vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability in the implantation experiments. These cellulose/SPI membranes warrant further explorations in biomedical fields.