Development of regenerative and flexible fibroin‐based wound dressings

Abstract

Skin injuries represent a health problem with consequences in terms of morbidity, disability and life quality. Numerous strategies have been developed for the treatment of wounds, including skin substitutes, biomembranes, scaffolds, and smart dressings. The excellent properties of fibroin can be exploited for the development of advanced wound dressing biomaterials, aiming at promoting the wound healing process. In this work, silk fibroin films modified through the addition of glucose were developed to enhance flexibility of medical device without affecting the biocompatibility, to promote wound healing and to improve the patient well-being. The glucose/fibroin blend was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry to analyze the protein structure. Absorption capacity, mechanical properties, wettability and bacterial biofilm formation on silk fibroin films were also analyzed to study the effect of the addition of a plasticizer on the properties of the wound dressing. The stability of the films was analyzed through in vitro biodegradability tests. The biocompatibility and regenerative properties were demonstrated through appropriate cellular assays. The results demonstrated that the addition of glucose induced crystallization and provided good flexibility and absorption capacity of silk fibroin films. Glucose modified silk fibroin films were biocompatible and had a positive effect in promoting the wound closure. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2018.

Influence of ethanol post-treatments on the properties of silk protein materials

“…Hence, it is possible to engineer silk biomaterials with tunable degradation rates, mechanical and other specific properties [9,18,19]. Due to its versatile properties and biological activity, silk protein materials have been extensively used in the research and development of biomaterials for diverse applications: wound healing [20][21][22][23], bone tissue regeneration [24] and vascular grafting [25]. However, materials fabricated using SF or SS as the only constituent generally have relatively weak structural and mechanical properties, which limit their extensive study in the biomedical field.…”

Bioinspired Materials for Wound Healing Application: The Potential of Silk Fibroin

“…Silk is also a robust structural material with higher resilience against changes in temperature, moisture and pH than other biopolymers [ 36 ]. In the form of hydrogel, sponge, film, electrospun nanofiber, silk fibroin (SF) has demonstrated excellent properties as a wound dressing biomaterial, such as maintenance of a moist environment and gas permeability [ 37 , 38 ], improved cell growth, proliferation and migration of different cells lines involved in the different phases of the wound healing process [ 38 , 39 , 40 ]. One of the main parameters involved in the regulation of the wound healing process is represented by the interaction between the different cells and ECM components and, in these biological mechanisms, silk biomaterials can play a key role for wound healing [ 41 ].…”

“…Many studies have been performed by several research groups aiming at exploring the great potential of silk fibroin, alone or in combination with other materials and through different processing methods, in order to define advanced approaches for wound healing and tissue engineering applications. Silk fibroin hydrogels, sponges, films, nanofibers etc., have been proposed as wound dressing biomaterials for maintenance of moist environments and gas permeability, and for improved cell response in the different phases of the wound healing process [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Figure 3 shows some examples of products developed by the authors Pollini and Paladini, such as fibroin hydrogel ( Figure 3 b), electrospun fibroin ( Figure 3 c), sponge ( Figure 3 d), film ( Figure 3 e), solution ( Figure 3 f) and powder ( Figure 3 g) obtained from silkworms’ cocoons ( Figure 3 a), which can be exploited for different bioengineering fields and, more interestingly, for wound healing applications.…”

“…The effectiveness of glucose modified silk fibroin films in promoting wound closure was successfully demonstrated in vitro through the scratch assay, which consisted of evaluating cell migration in a wound generated onto a cell monolayer. The migration rate increased to 84% and 100% in the presence of fibroin and a fibroin–glucose blend, thus demonstrating both the biocompatibility and regenerative properties of the device [ 40 ]. Wang et al used the solvent-casting technique to develop fibroin films modified by genipin and glycerol to obtain favorable mechanical properties for wound dressing application.…”

Identification and applications of neuroactive silk proteins: a narrative review

“…Sericin by cross-linking and mixing with other polymers can form a desirable scaffold with application in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations (Aramwit et al, 2012). No nutritional effect Reduce blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, improve glucose tolerance and increase insulin levels Increase pancreatic β cell mass Increase serum levels of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), growth hormone (GH) receptor, and adiponectin levels Decrease leptin and resistin levels Reduce the body fat content, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels, atherogenic index, free unsaturated fats, phospholipids, very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and free fatty acid level Fibroin and Sericin Chen et al, 2013Do et al, 2012Okazaki et al, 2010Rattana et al, 2017Seo et al, 2011 Cardioprotection Protect against atherosclerosis Protect against doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity Prevent isoprenaline-induced myocardial damage and hypertrophy Improve cardiac functional recovery after myocardial infarction Aramwit et al, 2009Chlapanidas et al, 2013Keawkorn et al, 2012Promphet et al, 2014Sasaki et al, 2000Zhaorigetu et al, 2001 Vascular and circulation effects Anticoagulant Vasodilation and relaxation of the smooth muscle of the artery wall Sericin Onsa-Ard et al, Tamada et al, 2004 Tissue engineering Act as chief ingredient for bioimaging, drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and scaffold for tissue regeneration Sericin and Fibroin Aramwit et al, 2015Kurland et al, 2014Panico et al, 2018Xiong et al, 2017Zhang et al, 2015 Wound healing Improve skin repair and collagen production Increase proliferation and migration of keratinocytes and fibroblasts into the injured area Sericin Aramwit and Sangcakul, 2007Aramwit et al, 2010bLiang et al, 2007 Cosmetic effects…”