Fabrication and structure analysis of poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid)/silk fibroin hybrid scaffold for wound dressing applications

Silk fibroin (SF) and poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) have been proved to be invaluable polymers in the field wound healing. This study aims at optimizing the electrospinning process of those polymers to make a hybrid membrane as a chronic wounds dressing. After characterizing the scaffolds, PLGA/SF (2:1), and PLGA scaffolds were selected for further study according to their superior tensile mechanical properties. The attachment and proliferation of mouse fibroblasts (L929) on scaffolds were measured using colorimetric assay and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, to evaluate the wound healing effect of the scaffolds in comparison with gauze and Comfeel (R) dressings, an excision wound model was conducted on diabetic rats. On the postoperative days of 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15, residual wound area was calculated using macroscopic data. In vitro results showed that the attachment and proliferation of L929 were significantly increased on PLGA/SF (2:1) hybrid scaffold. Animal study and histopathological evaluation outcomes confirmed the in vitro results as well. On day 15, the residual wound area in PLGA/SF (2:1) hybrid membrane group was significantly smaller than PLGA and control groups. This promising scaffold has the potential to be used for the upcoming development of wound dressings with or without biological drugs. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.