Development of a Photocrosslinked Methacrylated Silk Fibroin Hydrogel Incorporating Hesperidin-Loaded Liposomes for Wound Dressing Applications

Abstract

Hesperidin (HES) is a natural flavonoid with antioxidant activity; however, its poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability limit its biomedical applications. In this study, HES-loaded liposomes (HES-LPs) were prepared by thin-film hydration and incorporated into a methacrylated silk fibroin (SilMA) hydrogel to construct a photocrosslinked composite hydrogel for potential wound dressing applications. Successful methacrylation of SilMA was confirmed by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. HES-LPs exhibited a mean particle size of 87.13 ± 0.84 nm, a zeta potential of −3.80 ± 0.49 mV, an encapsulation efficiency of 72.48%, and a drug loading of 4.62%. The composite hydrogel exhibited good antioxidant activity in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. It also exhibited sustained HES release, good cytocompatibility, and enhanced L929 fibroblast migration. Overall, the composite hydrogel represents a candidate wound-dressing platform supported by preliminary in vitro evidence.