Xylan was first modified with maleic anhydride (MA) to obtain xylan-MA. The derivative was then blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to generate xylan-MA/PVA hydrogel. Xylan-MA was prepared by reacting xylan with MA under an acidic condition. A ring opening of MA occurred, yielding ester linkages between xylan and MA, as verified by C-13-NMR and FTIR. The effects of reaction temperature and weight ratio of xylan to MA on esterification were examined. Thermal stability of modified xylan derivatives was compared with that of pure xylan using TGA. The blends of xylan-MA with PVA became crosslinked gel after being heated at high temperature. The influences of MA and PVA contents on strength and swelling behaviors of the gels were investigated. The cytotoxicity of the gels was also evaluated. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.