The naturally obtained
protein Bombyxmori
silk is a biocompatible
polymer with excellent mechanical properties and have the potential in controlled
drug delivery applications. In this work, we have demonstrated dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)
oxygen (O2) plasma surface modified electrospun Bombyxmori
silk/
Amoxicillin hydrochloride trihydrate (AMOX)/
polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers for drug release applications with controlled plasma
treatment duration (1-10 min). The findings indicate that plasma treated electrospun nanofibers for 1-3 min exhibited significant enhancement in tensile strength, Young's modulus, wettability and surface energy. The plasma treated electrospun nanofibers for 1-5 min showed remarkable increase in AMOX released rate, whereas the electrospun nanofibers treated with plasma irradiation beyond 5 min showed only marginal increase. Moreover, the plasma treated nanofibers also exhibited good antibacterial activity against both E. coli (gram negative) and S. aureus (gram positive) bacteria. The untreated and the plasma treated
silk/AMOX/PVA electrospun nanofibers for 1-3 min showed enhanced viability of primary adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) growth on them and much less
hemolysis activity (< 5%). The in vitro biocompatibility of various electrospun nanofibers were further corroborated by live/dead imaging and cytoskeletal architecture assessment demonstrating enhanced cell adhesion and spreading on the plasma treated nanofibers for 1-3 min. The findings of the present study suggest that the
silk/AMOX/PVA electrospun nanofibers with plasma treatment (1-3 min) due to their enhanced drug release ability and biocompatibility can be used as potential
wound dressing applications.