Curcumin exhibited excellent properties including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and anticoagulant activities. In this study, curcumin was incorporated into silk fibroin (SF)/poly(L-lactic acid-co-ecaprolactone) (P(LLA-CL)) nanofibrous scaffolds via electrospinning, and changes brought about by raising the curcumin content were observed: SEM images showed that the average nanofibrous diameter decreased at the beginning and then increased, and the nanofibers became uniform; FTIR showed that the conformation of SF transforming from random coil form to β-sheet structure had not been induced, while SF conformation converted to β-sheet after being treated with 75% ethanol vapor; XRD results confirmed that the crystal structure of (P(LLA-CL)) had been destroyed; The mechanical test illustrated that nanofibrous scaffolds still maintained good mechanical properties. Further, curcumin-loaded nanofibrous scaffolds were evaluated for drug release, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in vitro. The results showed that curcumin presented a sustained release behavior from nanofibrous scaffolds and maintained its free radical scavenging ability, and such scaffolds could effectively inhibit S. aureus growth ( > 95%). Thus, curcumin-loaded SF/P(LLA-CL) nanofibrous scaffolds might be potential candidates for wound dressing and tissue engineering scaffolds.

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In recent years, the use of stimuli‐sensitive interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels for the encapsulation and controlled release of protein drugs has received significant attention. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the release of bovine serum albumin (BSA), a model drug, from a series of thermosensitive silk sericin (SS) poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) and pH‐responsive SS poly(methacrylic acid) IPN hydrogels. The effect of the chemical architecture of the IPN was investigated on the percentage loading of BSA and its subsequent release from the loaded devices. The temperature and pH of the release medium were studied for their impact on the release of BSA. The pulsatile releasing behavior of IPN hydrogels revealed that they can be made into microcapsules or thermo‐valves, which act as an on–off release control. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

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