Silk fibroin protein-based nonwoven mats incorporating baicalein Chinese herbal extract: Preparation, characterizations, and in vivo evaluation

In this study, we demonstrated a natural silk fibroin protein (SFP) that was blended with a Chinese herbal extract (baicalein, BAI) to obtain an effective combination for producing electrospun nonwoven mats with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial functions. A series of SFP-based electrospun nonwoven mats with additives of varying compositions were produced and investigated. Performance comparisons showed that the SFP/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/BAI nonwoven mat is the optimal one. In vitro, SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat is effective in inhibiting the formation of nitrite in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitrite formation in Raw 264.7 macrophages model and the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Especially in the case of SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat, Bai has been proved to reach their maximum amount of releases of approximately 64.8% within 24 h of contact with water-based environment as compared to the SFP/BAI nonwoven mat (only 30.1% of release within 24 h). For in vivo experiments, a 1.2 cm × 1.2 cm wound area was created on the back of mice and seeded with 1 × 10⁷ CFU/mL of S. aureus to induce an infected wound model. The experimental results show significant acceleration of the wound closure process in mice treated with SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat (4 days of reduction as compared to the untreated group), reduction in infiltration of neutrophils, nitrite formation, and inhibition of growth of wound bacteria. Histological images of the group treated with SFP/PVP/BAI nonwoven mat showed a compete repair of skin hierarchy, increasing production of collagen fibers, and enhancement of angiogenesis. This may bring a better recovery of skin appearance after treatment.