Development of regenerative and flexible fibroin-based wound dressings

Skin injuries represent a health problem with consequences in terms of morbidity, disability and life quality. Numerous strategies have been developed for the treatment of wounds, including skin substitutes, biomembranes, scaffolds, and smart dressings. The excellent properties of fibroin can be exploited for the development of advanced wound dressing biomaterials, aiming at promoting the wound healing process. In this work, silk fibroin films modified through the addition of glucose were developed to enhance flexibility of medical device without affecting the biocompatibility, to promote wound healing and to improve the patient well-being. The glucose/fibroin blend was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry to analyze the protein structure. Absorption capacity, mechanical properties, wettability and bacterial biofilm formation on silk fibroin films were also analyzed to study the effect of the addition of a plasticizer on the properties of the wound dressing. The stability of the films was analyzed through in vitro biodegradability tests. The biocompatibility and regenerative properties were demonstrated through appropriate cellular assays. The results demonstrated that the addition of glucose induced crystallization and provided good flexibility and absorption capacity of silk fibroin films. Glucose modified silk fibroin films were biocompatible and had a positive effect in promoting the wound closure.