Preliminary Characterization of Genipin-Cross-Linked Silk Sericin/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Films as Two-Dimensional Wound Dressings for the Healing of Superficial Wounds

Tippawan Siritientong,Juthamas Ratanavaraporn,Pornanong Aramwit,Teerapol Srichana

doi:10.1155/2013/904314

Tippawan Siritientong, Juthamas Ratanavaraporn + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/904314

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Abstract

The genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films were developed aiming to be applied as two-dimensional wound dressings for the treatment of superficial wounds. The effects of genipin cross-linking concentration on the physical and biological properties of the films were investigated. The genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/PVA films showed the increased surface density, tensile strength, and percentage of elongation, but decreased percentage of light transmission, water vapor transmission rate, and water swelling, compared to the non-cross-linked films. This explained that the cross-linking bonds between genipin and silk sericin would reduce the mobility of molecular chains within the films, resulting in the more rigid molecular structure. Silk sericin was released from the genipin-cross-linked films in a sustained manner. In addition, either L929 mouse fibroblast or HaCat keratinocyte cells showed high percentage of viability when cultured on the silk sericin/PVA films cross-linked with 0.075 and 0.1% w/v genipin. The in vivo safety test performed according to ISO 10993-6 confirmed that the genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/PVA films were safe for the medical usages. The efficacy of the films for the treatment of superficial skin wounds will be further investigated in vivo and clinically. The genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/PVA films would be promising choices of two-dimensional wound dressings for the treatment of superficial wounds.

Highlights

Epidermal damage as a result of ulcer, burn, or other traumatic incidents requires the treatment with wound dressing for the accelerated regeneration with functional satisfaction
We previously found that silk sericin could activate collagen production in BioMed Research International wounds, which subsequently induced epithelialization [4,5,6]
It was shown that the increasing concentration of genipin resulted in the higher cross-linking degree of the films (Table 1). This was correlated with the increased surface density (Table 1) and mechanical properties (Table 2), but decreased percentage of light transmission and Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) (Figure 1) and poorer water swelling ability (Figure 2(b)) of the genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films

Summary

Introduction

Epidermal damage as a result of ulcer, burn, or other traumatic incidents requires the treatment with wound dressing for the accelerated regeneration with functional satisfaction. Wound dressings made of natural proteins or polysaccharides (e.g., collagen, calcium alginate, chitin, and chitosan) and synthetic materials (e.g., silicone gel, poly(ethylene glycol), and poly(lleucine)) have been widely studied in research area and used clinically [2, 3]. Silk sericin could promote the attachment and proliferation of human skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes [10,11,12,13,14]. These properties contributed to the excellent suitability of silk sericin as a wound dressing material

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