Chitosan hydrogel/silk fibroin/Mg(OH)(2) nanobiocomposite as a novel scaffold with antimicrobial activity and improved mechanical properties

Herein, a novel nanobiocomposite scaffold based on modifying synthesized cross-linked terephthaloyl thiourea-chitosan hydrogel (CTT-CS hydrogel) substrate using the extracted silk fibroin (SF) biopolymer and prepared Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles was designed and synthesized. The biological capacity of this nanobiocomposite scaffold was evaluated by cell viability method, red blood cells hemolytic and anti-biofilm assays. According to the obtained results from 3 and 7 days, the cell viability of CTT-CS/SF/Mg(OH)(2) nanobiocomposite scaffold was accompanied by a considerable increment from 62.5 to 89.6% respectively. Furthermore, its low hemolytic effect (4.5%), and as well, the high anti-biofilm activity and prevention of the P. aeruginosa biofilm formation confirmed its promising hemocompatibility and antibacterial activity. Apart from the cell viability, blood biocompatibility, and antibacterial activity of CTT-CS/SF/Mg(OH)(2) nanobiocomposite scaffold, its structural features were characterized using spectral and analytical techniques (FT-IR, EDX, FE-SEM and TG). As well as, given the mechanical tests, it was indicated that the addition of SF and Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles to the CTT-CS hydrogel could improve its compressive strength from 65.42 to 649.56 kPa.

Automated summary

A novel nanobiocomposite scaffold was designed and synthesized based on modified CTT-CS hydrogel, with evaluated biological capacity through cell viability and anti-biofilm assays. The results showed promising cell viability, antibacterial activity, and hemocompatibility of the scaffold. Additionally, structural characterization and mechanical tests demonstrated that the addition of SF and Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles improved the compressive strength significantly.