In vivo study of silk fibroin/gelatin electrospun nanofiber dressing loaded with astragaloside IV on the effect of promoting wound healing and relieving scar

Abstract

This study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of silk fibroin/gelatin (SF/GT) electrospun nanofiber dressing loaded with astragaloside IV (AS) on acute trauma. SF/GT nanofiber dressing was prepared by electrospinning nanotechnology and loaded with AS. Four groups of rats inflicted with full-thickness wounds on the back were treated with saline, blank nanofiber dressing (blank control), AS solution and AS-loaded SF/GT nanofiber dressing, respectively. The results showed that AS-loaded SF/GT nanofiber dressing group had a significantly higher wound healing closure rate compared with control group on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th day after treatment. The VEGF content and the number of macrophages in the wound skin area of AS-loaded SF/GT nanofiber dressing group increased significantly compared to the blank control group 7 days after treatment (36 versus 4; 72 versus 38, p < 0.01, respectively). The expression level of Alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was inhibited by AS-loaded SF/GT nanofiber dressing treatment compared to the blank control, and the anti-scar effect was further demonstrated by scanning electron microscope and histological analyses. The conclusion of this study was that AS-loaded SF/GT nanofiber dressing with both healing accelerating ability and anti-scaring effect was proved to be a promising therapeutic for acute trauma treatment.