Silk fibroin protein‐based nonwoven mats incorporating baicalein Chinese herbal extract: preparation, characterizations, and in vivo evaluation

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrated a natural silk fibroin protein (SFP) that was blended with a Chinese herbal extract (baicalein, BAI) to obtain an effective combination for producing electrospun nonwoven mats with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial functions. A series of SFP-based electrospun nonwoven mats with additives of varying compositions were produced and investigated. Performance comparisons showed that the SFP/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/BAI nonwoven mat is the optimal one. In vitro, SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat is effective in inhibiting the formation of nitrite in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitrite formation in Raw 264.7 macrophages model and the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Especially in the case of SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat, Bai has been proved to reach their maximum amount of releases of approximately 64.8% within 24 h of contact with water-based environment as compared to the SFP/BAI nonwoven mat (only 30.1% of release within 24 h). For in vivo experiments, a 1.2 cm × 1.2 cm wound area was created on the back of mice and seeded with 1 × 10 CFU/mL of S. aureus to induce an infected wound model. The experimental results show significant acceleration of the wound closure process in mice treated with SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat (4 days of reduction as compared to the untreated group), reduction in infiltration of neutrophils, nitrite formation, and inhibition of growth of wound bacteria. Histological images of the group treated with SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat showed a compete repair of skin hierarchy, increasing production of collagen fibers, and enhancement of angiogenesis. This may bring a better recovery of skin appearance after treatment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 420-430, 2017.

Evaluation of a series of silk fibroin protein‐based nonwoven mats for use as an anti‐adhesion patch for wound management in robotic surgery

“…Basically, a fabric and beta‐sheet crystalline surface topography and protein structure is less favorable for the adhesion of serum protein. In conjunction with our previous work that the electrospun SFP nonwoven mats still maintain 76–77% of high beta‐sheet crystalline structure, we believe that an electrospun nonwoven mat composed of SFP‐based fiber may have potential to strike a balance between anti‐adhesion and permeability.…”

Electrospun Nanofibres Containing Antimicrobial Plant Extracts

“…The electrospinning of naturally derived bioactive agents has been proposed for the development of advanced dressings able to promote rapid and efficient wound repair [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. In fact, electrospun scaffolds possess several advantages over traditional dressings for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds [ 52 , 53 ]: high absorption of exudates from the wound site, efficient exchange of gases and nutrients to promote cells proliferation, physical protection of the injured tissue, and the possibility to release functional molecules.…”

“…Crude extracts are easily obtained by organic solvent extraction from fresh plants or from milled dried plants. Several crude plant extracts have been successfully encapsulated into electrospun fibres, such as Centella asiatica [ 39 ], baicalein [ 37 ], green tea [ 36 ], Garcinia mangostana [ 38 , 42 ], Tecomella undulata [ 32 ], aloe vera [ 44 , 54 ], Grewia mollis [ 55 ], chamomile [ 35 ], grape seed [ 33 ], Calendula officinalis [ 56 ], Indigofera aspalathoides , Azadirachta indica , Memecylon edule and Myristica andamanica [ 43 ].…”

“…Overall, the results collected proved that CA has a positive effect in accelerating wound healing, by acting on inflammatory and proliferative phases and protecting the injured site against bacteria colonisation. Another herbal extract that has been used for wound care applications is baicalein, a Chinese herb with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties [ 37 ]. Baicalein (BAI) was incorporated into silk fibroin (SFP) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibres and its antibacterial activity was evaluated in vitro against S. aureus .…”

Texas Sour Orange Juice Used in Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

“…Chan et al added a Chinese herbal extract (baicalein, BAI) into silk fibroin protein (SFP) mixed with PVP, obtained an SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat, and evaluated its performance as wound healing materials. The fabricated electrospun mats promoted cell regeneration in the wound coupled with enhanced antibacterial activity against S. aureus [ 40 ]. Other studies have used naturally derived agents such as soy protein, silk fibroin, zein [ 41 , 42 ], thymol, aloe vera, emu oil, and honey [ 15 , 43 ] to develop polymeric-based fiber membranes.…”