Fabrication and characterization of electrospun silk fibroin/TiO₂ nanofibrous mats for wound dressings

Abstract

Silk fibroin (SF) nanofibrous mats were fabricated via electrospinning process. These fibers were blended with TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). The influence of TiO2 NPs on the nanofibrous matrices was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray, and thermogravimetric analysis. The SEM images revealed that the average diameter of the SF/TiO2 fibers was 385 ± 63 nm when the concentration of SF was up to 10% (w/v). Infrared spectra showed that the β‐sheet structure of the silk fibroin increased after acetone treatment. These SF/TiO2 nanofibrous mats exhibited higher equilibrium water content and water vapor transmission rate than hydrocolloid dressing. The hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility of SF/TiO2 nanofibrous mats were evaluated by complete blood count, cell attachment, and the spreading of L929 fibroblasts. These SF/TiO2 nanofibrous mats exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli under UV irradiation. Thus, these novel nanocomposite mats may be used for biomedical applications such as wound dressing. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Review of Structure Construction of Silk Fibroin Biomaterials from Single Structures to Multi-Level Structures

“…Cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) were added to the SF solution to reinforce the mats with twice the tensile strength and Young’s modulus [65]. Additionally, the doping of Ag [66] and TiO 2 [67] nanoparticles was found to improve the antibacterial property of SF mats.…”

Structural and Surface Compatibility Study of Modified Electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) Composites for Skin Tissue Engineering

“…Also, this will use more amount of collagen solution which is costly, not economical, and also mechanical strength of synthetic polymers; PCL may be compromised. Some researchers incorporated silver (Ag) or titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles of average diameter 21 nm in the nanofibrous-based scaffolds which were used in tissue engineering for some specific applications like antimicrobial or UV protection (32)(33)(34)(35)(36). These structures are also referred as hybrid materials or nanocomposites.…”

Electrospun nanofibrous materials for wound healing applications

“…The nanofibers were studied for their hemocompatibility, cytocompatibility, cell spreading, and antibacterial activity. The altogether results showed that the prepared nanofibrous membrane TiO 2 nanoparticles possess good biocompatibility, cell adhesion, and antimicrobial potential, which further suggest the possible utilization for wound dressing [39]. In recent years, a significant attention has been paid toward antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as alternative antimicrobial materials.…”