Naturally derived biofunctional nanofibrous scaffold for skin tissue regeneration

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Aloe vera (AV) exhibits significant wound healing properties.
• Silk fibroin (SF) offers superior elastic strength and biocompatibility.
• Combining AV and SF presents an opportunity for advanced dermal substitutes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a hybrid transdermal biomaterial by combining Aloe vera and Silk fibroin.
• To utilize electrospinning for creating a nanofibrous scaffold for dermal substitutes.
• To evaluate the physico-chemical and biological properties of the AV-SF scaffold.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of Aloe vera and Silk fibroin to create a nanofibrous scaffold.
• Physico-chemical characterization including morphology, functional groups, hydrophilicity, and tensile strain.
• In vitro biological evaluation assessing fibroblast proliferation and protein expression (CMFDA, collagen, F-actin).

Main Results:

• The AV-SF scaffold exhibited a finer morphology with amino and esteric groups.
• Improved hydrophilic properties and a favorable tensile strain of 116% were observed.
• Significant, dose-dependent fibroblast proliferation (up to 97.86%) and increased collagen and F-actin expression were confirmed.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanofibrous scaffold possesses synergistic properties from AV and SF.
• The biomaterial demonstrates excellent biocompatibility and promotes skin cell growth.
• This hybrid scaffold is a potential candidate for skin tissue regeneration applications.