Silk sutures with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory functions were developed for sustained dual-drug delivery to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs). The silk sutures were prepared with core–shell structures braided from degummed silk filaments and then coated with a silk fibroin (SF) layer loaded with berberine (BB) and artemisinin (ART). Both the rapid release of drugs to prevent initial biofilm formation and the following sustained release to maintain effective concentrations for more than 42 days were demonstrated. In vitro assays using human fibroblasts (Hs 865.Sk) demonstrated cell proliferation on the materials, and hemolysis was 2.4 ± 0.8%, lower than that required by ISO 10993-4 standard. The sutures inhibited platelet adhesion and promoted collagen deposition and blood vessel formation. In vivo assessments using Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats indicated that the coating reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), shortening the inflammatory period and promoting angiogenesis. The results demonstrated that these new sutures exhibited stable structures, favorable biocompatibility, and sustainable antibacterial and anti-inflammatory functions with potential for surgical applications.

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Medical sutures with sustainable antibacterial properties can effectively inhibit pathogens, thus avoiding the occurrence of surgical site infection and reducing the recurrence of patients resulting in postoperative death. This paper describes a facile scalable antibacterial surgical suture with sustainable antibacterial function and fair mechanical and biocompatible properties using a simple, efficient, and eco-friendly method. Silk filaments were braided into a core−shell structure using a braiding machine, and then silk fibroin (SF) films loaded with different percentages of berberine (BB) were coated onto the surface of the suture. The drugloaded sutures performed a slow drug-release profile of more than 7 days. Retention of the knot-pull tensile strength of all groups was above 87% during in vitro degradation within 42 days. The sutures had no toxicity to the cells' in vitro cytotoxicity. The results of the in vivo biocompatibility test showed mild inflammation and clear signs of supporting angiogenesis in the implantation site of the rats. This work provides a new route for achieving a BB-loaded and high-performance antibacterial suture, which is of great potential in applications for surgical operations.

In order to reduce the infection rate of major respiratory diseases, it is crucial to development of masks with antibacterial functions. This paper describes an electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibrous membranes loaded with antibacterial drugs. The concentration of artemisinin (ART)/chloroquine phosphate (CQP) in PVA solution and the process parameters were investigated. Meanwhile, the physical properties and antibacterial effect, filtration performance, respiratory resistance and the surface wettability of drug membranes were tested and analyzed. The results showed that when the mass concentration of PVA was 9 wt.% and the dosage of ART/CQP was 1.5/10 mg/mL, the fibers had uniform thickness and no beads. The prepared PVA fiber membrane has good hydrophilic, filtration and antibacterial properties, and the inhibition zone to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was 7 ± 0.3 mm and 4 ± 0.2 mm, respectively. The development of antibacterial PVA drug loaded fibrous membranes has potential value in the application of medical protective mask materials.