Electrospun egg white protein/polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide fibrous wound dressing: Fabrication, antibacterial, cytocompatibility and wound healing assay

Abstract

Due to the unsatisfactory physicochemical properties of egg white proteins (EWPs), which limit their widespread application in wound dressings, we modified EWPs with graphene oxide (GO) due to excellent material properties. Egg white protein (EWP)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/graphene oxide (GO) fibrous wound dressings with different GO concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/ml) were produced by electrospinning, and their application potential in skin tissue repair was studied. The fabricated fibrous wound dressing was cross-linked and characterised, and hydrophilicity, degradation, water vapour transmission rate (WVTR), mechanical properties, antibacterial activity, cell compatibility and wound healing effect in vivo were measured. As the GO content increased, the spinnability of the mixed solution was reduced. FTIR and XRD confirmed that the GO, EWPs and PVA fibres were successfully combined. The addition of GO improved the antibacterial activity of the wound dressings. The overall performance of the EWP/PVA/GO wound dressing containing 1 mg/ml GO was optimal, displaying good hydrophilicity, degradation, WVTR, thermal stability, tensile mechanical properties, cell survival, and enhancing the proliferation, adhesion and migration of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo healing experiments showed that the wound dressing containing 1 mg/ml GO promoted skin wound healing and tissue regeneration (type I collagen, vascularisation and hair follicle) the best. EWP/PVA/GO electrospun fibres with 1 mg/ml GO have great potential in wound dressing applications.