Fabrication of robust Antheraea assama fibroin nanofibrous mat using ionic liquid for skin tissue engineering

Electrospinning is an emerging technique used for fabrication of nanofibrous mats for skin tissue engineering applications. The aim of this study centered on fabrication of muga fibroin electrospun mats by using ionic liquid and its characterizations. The muga fibroin extracted from cocoon of Antheraea assama is dissolved in 1-butyl, 3-methyl imidazolium acetate (BMIMAc), a green solvent, to prepare a dope solution for electrospinning. The molecular weight, rheology and structural properties of dope solution are characterized. The process parameters of electrospinning machine such as voltage and concentration of dope solution are varied to obtain nanofibrous mats. The nanofibrous mat having average fiber diameter of 160nm are obtained from 10% w/v concentration of muga fibroin in BMIMAc with an applied voltage of 20KV. The mechanical, structural, physical and thermal properties of muga nanofibrous mat (MNF) are analyzed and compare with muga cast film. The cytocompatibility test is performed using L929 fibroblast cells. It is observed that muga nanofibrous mat support higher growth of fibroblast cells (p<0.05) as compared to muga cast film (MCF). Muga nanofibrous mat and cast film are loaded with gentamycin sulphate. The release rate and antimicrobial efficiency of gentamycin sulphate loaded muga nanofibrous mat are found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) as compared to muga cast film. All these results indicate that muga nanofibrous mat would be a promising material for skin tissue engineering.