Preparation, characterization, and antibacterial properties of hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds for cutaneous tissue engineering

Abstract

Since polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds have been widely used in tissue regeneration, the risk of bacterial infections should not be neglected. In the present work, poly-caprolactone-silk fibroin-soluble eggshell membrane-silver nanoparticles (PCL-SF-SESM-AgNPs) and caprolactone-silk fibroin-soluble eggshell membrane-chitosan (PCL-SF-SESM-CS) scaffolds were fabricated via the electrospinning method for cutaneous regeneration. The composition, morphology, hydrophilicity, and mechanical features of prepared scaffolds were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), tensile, and water contact angle tests. The existence of AgNPs in PCL/SF/SESM/AgNPs nanofibers was confirmed by UV-visible, Transmission electron microscopes (TEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns. Besides, cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation process of cutaneous progenitor cells, namely basal cell carcinoma (BCCs), toward keratinocyte-like cells were evaluated using MTT analysis, DAPI, Immunofluorescence imaging (IF), and Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (QRT-PCR) assay. The results indicated that prepared nanofibrous mats are appropriate candidates for cutaneous regeneration and in advanced in vivo applications could be used. Lastly, the antimicrobial potential of prepared nanofibers against microorganisms such as E. coli, S. aureus, and C. Albicans was analyzed using the disc diffusion method. Results revealed that chitosan-containing nanofibrous scaffolds indicate inhibition against S. aureus, but PCL-SF-SESM as control group not. In addition, against C. albicans any antifungal activity was not observed.