An Insight into Nano Silver Fluoride-Coated Silk Fibroin Bioinspired Membrane Properties for Guided Tissue Regeneration

The current work focuses on the development of a novel electrospun silk fibroin (SF) nonwoven mat as a GTR membrane with antibacterial, biomineralization and biocompatible properties. The gamma-poly glutamic acid (gamma-PGA)-capped nano silver fluoride (NSF) and silver diamine fluoride (SDF) were first synthesized, which were dip-coated onto electrospun silk fibroin mats (NSF-SF and SDF-SF). UV-Vis spectroscopy and TEM depicted the formation of silver nanoparticles. NSF-SF and SDF-SF demonstrated antibacterial properties (against Porphyromonas gingivalis) with 3.1 and 6.7 folds higher relative to SF, respectively. Post-mineralization in simulated body fluid, the NSF-SF effectively promoted apatite precipitation (Ca/P similar to 1.67), while the SDF-SF depicted deposition of silver nanoparticles, assessed by SEM-EDS. According to the FTIR-ATR deconvolution analysis, NSF-SF portrayed similar to 75% estimated hydroxyapatite crystallinity index (CI), whereas pure SF and SDF-SF demonstrated similar to 60%. The biocompatibility of NSF-SF was similar to 82% when compared to the control, while SDF-coated samples revealed in vitro cytotoxicity, further needing in vivo studies for a definite conclusion. Furthermore, the NSF-SF revealed the highest tensile strength of 0.32 N/mm and 1.76% elongation at break. Therefore, it is substantiated that the novel bioactive and antibacterial NSF-SF membranes can serve as a potential candidate, shedding light on further in-depth analysis for GTR applications.

Automated summary

The study developed a novel electrospun silk fibroin nonwoven mat with antibacterial, biomineralization, and biocompatible properties. The NSF-SF effectively promoted apatite precipitation in simulated body fluid, while SDF-SF depicted the deposition of silver nanoparticles. NSF-SF showed high biocompatibility and optimal tensile strength, making it a potential candidate for GTR applications.