Developing a Silk Fibroin Composite Film to Scavenge and Probe H(2)O(2) Associated with UV-Excitable Blue Fluorescence

A silk fibroin composite film that can simultaneously scavenge and probe H(2)O(2) in situ was developed for possibly examining local concentrations of H(2)O(2) for biomedical applications. A multi-functional composite film (GDES) that consists of graphene oxide (G), a photothermally responsive element that was blended with polydopamine (PDA, D)/horseradish peroxidase (HRP, E) (or DE complex), and then GDE microaggregates were coated with silk fibroin (SF, S), a tyrosine-containing protein. At 37 °C, the H(2)O(2)-scavenging ability of a GDES film in solution at approximately 7.5 × 10(−3) μmol H(2)O(2)/mg film was the highest compared with those of S and GS films. The intensities of UV-excitable blue fluorescence of a GDES film linearly increased with increasing H(2)O(2) concentrations from 4.0 μM to 80 μM at 37 °C. Interestingly, after a GDES film scavenged H(2)O(2), the UV-excitable blue fluorescent film could be qualitatively monitored by eye, making the film an eye-probe H(2)O(2) sensor. A GDES film enabled to heat H(2)O(2)-containing samples to 37 °C or higher by the absorption of near-IR irradiation at 808 nm. The good biocompatibility of a GDES film was examined according to the requirements of ISO-10993-5. Accordingly, a GDES film was developed herein to scavenge and eye-probe H(2)O(2) in situ and so it has potential for biomedical applications.