The development of scaffold materials, such as nanoporous and nanofibrous hydrogel for biomedical applications, using green processes is a desirable approach.
Natural biopolymers have been utilized for wound dressing, owing to their bioactive compounds content, mechanical properties, biodegradability, porosity, and proper surface chemistry.
What is Silk Waste?
Silk waste includes different types of raw silks that are unwindable. Even though the composition of silk waste is very much similar to that of good silk, it cannot be utilized for the production of silk textiles.
Typically, silk waste is composed of silk fibroin (SF) core polymer (75−83%) and a sericin glue-like protein as a coating (17−25%).
SF is a natural protein of semi-crystalline structure which provides robust stiffness and impressive strength to silk.
SF has been utilized in various healthcare and biomedical products because of its biodegradability, good mechanical property, biocompatibility with human tissue, flexible morphology, drug permeability, antioxidant and hypolipidemic properties, and nontoxicity.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SF protein from Bombyx mori silkworm for biomedical purposes.
Production of Polymeric Nanofibers by Electrospinning Method
Electrospinning is one of the most popular, simple, and scalable techniques used for producing polymeric nanofibers used for wound dressing.
Scientists have found that binary blends of SF with other materials enhance the properties of resultant scaffolds, due to the synergistic influence of both components.
Interestingly, the physiochemical properties of nanofibers can be controlled by optimizing the electrospinning parameters to attain the requirements of specific applications.
Typically, organic solvents are used in the electrospinning process due to their high dipole moment, conductivity, dielectric constant, and low surface tension. However, the majority of the organic solvents, such as dichloromethane, formic acid, and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), are toxic.
Very few reports are available on the production of SF nanofiber materials via electrospinning process based on SF/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and SF/ poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in water and water/methanol systems.
However, scientists reported that the fabricated SF nanofibers are sensitive to moisture and can dissolve in the biological system before utilization.
Development of Strong Silk-Fibroin/Poly(ethylene oxide) Non-woven Nanofibers – A New Study
Generally, electrospun processes require some additives to stabilize the nanofibers after their synthesis. However, previous studies have indicated that these additives account for biological risks when used for biomedical purposes.
The new study reported on the development of an additive-free system that involves partial evaporation of the initial solving agent, which is followed by methanolic treatment to enhance the structural morphology.
The additive-free system also aids in improving the mechanical properties of the fabricated nanofibers.
Cross-linking techniques enable the nanofibrous materials to maintain the porosity and stability of the structure.
The radiation-induced crosslinking technique is known to be a green process for the production of hydrogel or scaffold. This is because the entire process, i.e., from the sample preparation to processing, is performed under liquid or solid-state.
The irradiation method utilizes γ-rays or electron beams (EBs) for sterilization of biomedical materials and production hydrogels with wide-ranging applications.
In the new study, scientists explored a dual green route to obtain strengthened SF-based nonwoven nanofibers using pure water for electrospinning and EB-assisted cross-linking technique.
For the fabrication of SF-PEO nanofibers, scientists primarily optimized the electrospinning process using SF/poly(PEO) in a pure water solution for the production of non-woven nanofibers.
Secondly, they focussed on stabilizing the dissoluble SF/ PEO non-woven nanofibers via cross-linking networks developed by a free radical reaction using EB irradiation.
Scientists revealed that this newly designed process lead to the production of cylindrical-shaped, smooth, and elongated SF-PEO nanofibers with a diameter of 169 ± 5 nm, under moderate conditions.
To achieve maximum stability in the fabricated nanofibers, the authors optimized the EB irradiation dose to be 25 kGy for cross-linking, and ~50% gel fraction.
The optimized conditions significantly improved the mechanical properties of the SF/PEO nanofiber.
The tensile strength and elongation at break were augmented and the ductility was increased approximately 22-fold.
Benefits of Silk-Fibroin/Poly(ethylene oxide) Non-woven Nanofibers
The authors reported that cross-linked SF/PEO nanofibers supported cell proliferation and were found to be non-toxic to skin fibroblast cells.
This strongly implies that this nanofiber material could be used for healthcare and biomedical purposes.
One of the important contributions of this study has been the utilization of the 3G strategy, i.e., green electrospinning, green EB irradiation process, and green renewable polymers (silk waste), for the production of non-toxic, strong, stable nanofibers, ideal for wound dressings.
Additionally, the swelling and water absorption property of the SF-PEO nanofiber could be utilized for drug entrapment and controlled release application.
News
GHCE Concept
From the preface of the book Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artificial Intelligence, Edited by Frank Boehm: Since the publication of my first book (Nanomedical Device and Systems [...]
Human Bodies Are Producing Two Billion Tons of CO2 a Year
A new study reveals that the amount of carbon dioxide produced by human metabolism has increased dramatically over three decades. The carbon dioxide produced by human bodies as they convert food into energy increased [...]
A Hidden DNA Mechanism Could Explain How 20% of Human Cancers Develop
Researchers have identified an unexpected molecular vulnerability in cancers carrying BAF mutations. Mutations found in roughly 20% of human cancers may promote tumor growth by changing how DNA is organized inside cells. Researchers have [...]
Ebola kills over 5,300 in fastest-growing outbreak on record
Africa’s latest Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 5,400 people, the vast majority of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the continent’s top health agency. Africa Centres for Disease Control and [...]
China makes early progress in using sound waves to stimulate damaged brains
Chinese researchers are testing whether focused ultrasound can help restore consciousness in patients with severe brain injuries, adding to a growing international effort to use sound waves to stimulate deep brain structures without surgery. [...]
Micro-drones fly through the body thanks to ultrasound
At the EPFL, micro-drones have been developed that can be moved without a motor or battery.No motors, no batteries, no electronics on board, just small cavities that convert sound waves into thrust: this is [...]
A Single Enzyme Could Hold the Key to Treating a Devastating Brain Disorder
Blocking an enzyme’s production restored brain growth and healthy behaviors in mice engineered to develop Angelman syndrome, pointing to a possible treatment target. Children with Angelman syndrome begin to show difficulties with thinking and [...]
Scientists Develop a Clever New Way To Kill Cancer Cells From the Inside
Scientists have developed an experimental strategy that exploits a chemical byproduct of cancer cells to produce anticancer drugs directly inside them. Scientists in Japan have developed an experimental method that uses a chemical produced [...]
Our books are available worldwide!
Online Sellers other than Amazon, Routledge, and IOPP Indigo Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artifcial Intelligence Global Health Care Equivalency In The Age Of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine And Artificial [...]
After only a short training, people in a coma managed to send targeted signals
Researchers have succeeded in communicating with brain-injured patients who are unconscious. They see enormous potential in this for future treatments. Patients who lie motionless in bed after a severe brain injury and do not [...]
MIT Scientists Reprogram Immune Cells Inside the Body To Destroy Cancer
Natural killer cells reprogrammed inside mice eliminated lymphoma tumors and helped damaged livers heal, though whether this approach could help people with cancer or autoimmune disease remains unknown. To make a cancer treatment from [...]
Melanoma mRNA Vaccine Shows Promise in Preventing Disease Recurrence
Key takeaways: Phase 3 trial finds personalized intismeran plus pembrolizumab may better prevent high-risk melanoma recurrence after surgery The trial enrolled 1,137 patients and builds on phase 2 results showing about half the recurrence [...]
Scientists Discover a Powerful New Weapon Against a Dangerous Gut Infection
The promise of an experimental treatment for C. difficile gut infections lies partly in the bacteria it leaves alive, according to early laboratory and mouse research. Broad-spectrum antibiotics can disrupt the gut’s microbial community, [...]
Your Bones May Hold a Hidden Clue to Blood Cancer Survival
For people with blood cancers called myelodysplastic syndromes, osteoporosis may hold an overlooked clue to survival, a three-year observational study suggests. In blood cancers that develop in the bone marrow, an important clue to [...]
Researchers Discover What Reading for Pleasure May Be Doing to Your Brain
Reading for pleasure may offer surprising benefits for the brain, with research linking the habit to better mental health, stronger cognitive abilities, and a lower risk of dementia. Reading for pleasure may do far [...]
Scientists Discover a Hidden Trigger That Keeps Inflammation Alive
Inflammation persists after proteins detach from immune receptors, revealing a potential target for autoimmune treatments. Since a Nobel Prize-winning discovery in the 1990s identified molecules called Toll-like Receptors as the guardians of the human [...]
