A novel magnetic nanocomposite based on alginate-tannic acid hydrogel embedded with silk fibroin with biological activity and hyperthermia application

Abstract

In the current study, sodium alginate (SA) and tannic acid (TA), in the presence of calcium chloride as a cross-linker, were used to fabricate a nanocomposite scaffold. With the addition of silk fibroin (SF), the strength of the synthesized composite was increased. Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) led to the usage of this magnetic nanocomposite in hyperthermia applications. Various properties of this scaffold were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR), energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX), Vibrating- sample magnetometer (VSM). A hemolytic assay of this magnetic nanocomposite demonstrated that about 100 % of red blood cells (RBCs) survived at a concentration of 2 mg/ml, proving this scaffold is hemocompatible. Furthermore, an MTT assay was utilized to assess the cytotoxicity of the synthesized magnetic nanocomposite. Finally, the hyperthermia behavior of the fabricated magnetic nanocomposite was evaluated, and the specific absorption rate (SAR) was 73.53 W/g. The proposed nanocomposite is a good candidate for wound dressing applications in future studies.

Keywords: Biological activity; Hydrogel; Hyperthermia; Magnetic nanocomposite; Sodium alginate; Tannic acid.