One of the main challenges of using biomaterials for inducing bone regeneration is the bacterial resistance before complete bone repair. Biomaterials with both antibacterial and bone regeneration properties are more promising for bone repair. In the present study, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was loaded on silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFNPs) and then embedded in silk scaffold containing vancomycin to form a dual drug release system. The chemical and physical properties of the fabricated structure were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and ζ-potential analysis. The size of spherical SFNPs was ∼92 nm. The release kinetics of vancomycin and VEGF showed that ∼99.56% of vancomycin and ∼14% of VEGF were released during 21 and 28 days, respectively. The bioactivity of VEGF was ∼75%. Disk diffusion test confirmed the ability of this drug delivery system against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Moreover, expression of the endothelial markers (FLK-1, vWF, and VE-cadherin), alkaline phosphatase, and matrix mineral production were higher in VEGF loaded groups. Taken together, the results indicated that the fabricated codelivery system was able to simultaneously deliver antibiotic and angiogenic factor, which can be considered as a potential candidate for the treatment of contaminated bone injuries.
Keywords: VEGF; bone infection; codelivery system; silk nanoparticle; vancomycin.