Bioinspired Design of Sericin/Chitosan/Ag@MOF/GO Hydrogels for Efficiently Combating Resistant Bacteria, Rapid Hemostasis, and Wound Healing

Polymers (Basel). 2021 Aug 21;13(16):2812. doi: 10.3390/polym13162812.

Abstract

Due to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals, the development of antibacterial dressings has become a strategy to control wound infections caused by bacteria. Here, we reported a green strategy for in situ biomimetic syntheses of silver nanoparticles@organic frameworks/graphene oxide (Ag@MOF-GO) in sericin/chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel. Ag@MOF-GO was synthesized in situ from the redox properties of tyrosine residues in silk sericin without additional chemicals, similar to a biomineralization process. The sericin/chitosan/Ag@MOF-GO dressing possessed a high porosity, good water retention, and a swelling ratio. The hemolysis rate of the composite was 3.9% and the cell viability rate was 131.2%, which indicated the hydrogel possessed good biocompatibility. The composite also showed excellent lasting antibacterial properties against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. The composite possessed excellent hemostatic activity. The coagulation effect of the composite may be related to its effect on the red blood cells and platelets, but it has nothing to do with the activation of coagulation factors. An in vitro cell migration assay confirmed and an in vivo evaluation of mice indicated that the composite could accelerate wound healing and re-epithelialization. In summary, the composite material is an ideal dressing for accelerating hemostasis, preventing bacterial infection, and promoting wound healing.

Keywords: antibacterial activity; biomimetic synthesis; hemostasis; wound healing.