Silk fibroin nanofibers enhance cell adhesion of blood-derived fibroblast-like cells: A potential application for wound healing

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate silk-fibroin electrospun nanofibers and blood-derived fibroblast-like cells for cytotoxicity and cell adhesion. BACKGROUND: Silk fibroin (SF) has emerged as a favorable and potential bio-material owing to its unique properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, the possibility of functional modifications, mechanical strength, and regenerative capability. Despite current advancements in tissue engineering technologies, delay wound healing and scar formation remain unresolved. Bioequivalent skin graft having human fibroblast and keratinocytes (Apligraft(®)) has proven to be beneficial, but the cost is a limiting factor. OBJECTIVE: The blood born fibroblast-like cells express several growth factors, extracellular matrix proteins, and these factors are crucial in the various steps of the wound-healing process. SF is an idea polymer by the virtue of its multifaceted characteristics such as mechanical strength, biodegradability, improved cell attachment, biocompatibility, good elasticity, having application in biomedical, tissue engineering, and medicine. The objective of the present study is to evaluate SF as a biomaterial for making nanofibers scaffold and culturing blood-derived fibroblast-like cells on it for the potential application to wound site. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood-derived fibroblast-like cells evaluated for cytotoxicity, collagen 1 expression, and cell adhesion on SF electrospun nanofibers. The silk nanofibers were fabricated by the electrospinning method using silk-derived fibroin solution and analyzed for protein composition, viscosity, and further characterized using the Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS: The SF nanofibers were nontoxic to the blood-derived fibroblast-like cells. It improved cell adhesion with collagen 1 expression. CONCLUSION: The composite scaffold of SF nanofibers with blood-derived fibroblast-like cells would be a potential healing patch for many types of wounds.