Fabrication of a novel blended membrane with chitosan and silk microfibers for wound healing: characterization, in vitro and in vivo studies

Abstract

Pure chitosan membranes present insufficient mechanical properties and a high swelling ratio, which limits their application in biomedical field. In this study, silk microfibers were obtained by chemical hydrolysis, and a novel type of chitosan/silk microfiber (CS/mSF) blended membrane was reported and its multiple physical properties were evaluated. The mechanical properties were significantly improved after blending silk microfibers with a chitosan matrix, while the swelling ratio was decreased. Observation of the surface microstructures of the blended membranes via scanning electron microscopy showed abundant embedding of mSF into the CS matrix, as well as connections among mSF. In vitro cytocompatibility was also investigated, and the blended membranes exhibited significant cytocompatibility, which was demonstrated by cell proliferation and cell morphology. Furthermore, the in vivo healing effects of the blended membrane as a wound dressing were determined on a full-thickness skin wound model of rats.Animal studies revealed that the membranes containing mSF exhibited increased wound healing efficiency compared with pure CS membranes and treatment without wound dressing. From an examination of histological changes, a higher level of epithelialization and collagen formation was observed with treatment of CS/mSF blended membranes after a 21 day repair period. In conclusion, our results indicated that the blended membranes with CS and mSF might be a potential candidate material for wound healing.

Self‐Healing Silk Fibroin‐Based Hydrogel for Bone Regeneration: Dynamic Metal‐Ligand Self‐Assembly Approach

“…HA (150 kDa) was purchased from Lifecore Biomedical (US). [41,42] Briefly, 10 g cut pieces of silk cocoons were boiled for 30 min in 1 L of 0.5 wt% Na 2 CO 3 solution followed by rinsing thoroughly with distilled water to degum SF. 3-(Acrylamido-1hydroxypropane-1,1-diyl) bis(phosphonic acid) was prepared according to our previous report.…”

“…mSF with 200-300 µm length and around 10 µm diameter ( Figure S1, Supporting Information) were directly obtained from macroscopic silk fibers using a "top-down" method according to our previous reports [41,42] Inorganic coating of the surface of mSF was accomplished through biomineralization, i.e., by immersing the microfibers in 1.5 × simulated body fluid (SBF) for 7 d (Figure 1). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify the molecular structure of the CaP@mSF and mSF (Figure 2a).…”

Evaluation of alginate dialdehyde as a suitable crosslinker on modifying porcine acellular dermal matrix: The aggregation of collagenous fibers

“…Mechanical properties, such as the tensile strength and elongation at break are usually considered crucial for various biomaterials, which could provide the biomaterials with sufficient tension and strength in clinical application especially when it is used as wound dressing at the joints, ankles or elbows . Table shows us the significant impacts of various crosslinking methods on the mechanical properties of PADM.…”

Simulation of ECM with silk and chitosan nanocomposite materials

“…15–18 Because of its superior and tunable mechanical properties, controllable degradation and relatively low inflammatory response, SF has been used to replace collagen, and blended with chitosan (CS), a biocompatible natural biomaterial with some similarities with glycosaminoglycan, to mimic the ECM composition. 4 Although many previous studies suggested better biocompatibility with silk rather than CS materials, 19,20 better biocompatibility and cell growth in vitro and in vivo than pure silk and CS were achieved using SF-CS composite scaffolds, by tuning the ratio of SF and CS, suggesting that they have promising applications as matrices. 21–23 …”