Development of PCL‐Silk Fibroin‐Based Wound Dressings Incorporated with Green‐Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

Despite advancements in wound dressing development, effective wound repair still remains an unmet clinical need, as current clinical dressings fail to fully replicate the properties of healthy skin. In this regard, the current study utilizes polycaprolactone (PCL) and silk fibroin (SF) to create wound dressings through electrospinning. To enhance the antibacterial properties of the dressings, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with an average size of 78.42 ± 8.2 nm were initially synthesized using a green method with aloe vera extract and incorporated into the polymeric matrix. The electrospun PCL/SF nanofibers exhibited an average diameter of 204 ± 0.03 nm, which increased to 233 ± 0.05 nm with the inclusion of AgNPs. The contact angles for PCL/SF and PCL/SF/AgNPs were 62.07 ± 0.98° and 71.75 ± 2.89°, respectively. The incorporation of AgNPs significantly reduced the colony counts of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to 9.7 × 109 and 1.157 × 1010 CFU/mL, respectively, compared to the control group. Additionally, cytotoxicity studies using L929 fibroblast cells and an MTT assay confirmed the non‐cytotoxic nature of the optimized scaffold. These findings demonstrate that the inclusion of Ag‐AvNPs greatly enhanced the antibacterial and biological performance of the electrospun scaffolds, highlighting their potential for advanced wound care and skin tissue regeneration.