The Impact of Green Physical Crosslinking Methods on the Development of Sericin-Based Biohydrogels forWound Healing

Maria C. Arango, Natalia Jaramillo Quiceno, José David Badia, Amparo Cháfer, Josep Pasqual Cerisuelo, Catalina Alvarez Lopez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle in an indexed scientific journal

Abstract

Silk sericin (SS)–based hydrogels show promise for wound healing due to their biocompatibility, moisture regulation, and cell proliferation properties. However, there is still a need to develop green crosslinking methods to obtain non-toxic, absorbent, and mechanically strong SS hydrogels. This study investigated the effects of three green crosslinking methods, annealing treatment (T), exposure to an absolute ethanol vapor atmosphere (V.E), and water vapor (V.A), on the
physicochemical and mechanical properties of SS and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) biohydrogels. X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to determine chemical structures. Thermal properties and morphological changes were studied through thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The water absorption capacity, mass loss, sericin release in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and compressive strength were also evaluated. The results showed that physical crosslinking methods induced different structural transitions in the biohydrogels, impacting their mechanical properties. In particular, V.A hydrogen presented the highest compressive strength at 80% deformation owing to its compact and porous structure with crystallization and bonding sites. Moreover, both the V.A and T hydrogels exhibited improved absorption capacity, stability, and slow SS release in PBS. These results demonstrate the potential of green physical crosslinking techniques for producing SS/PVA biomaterials for wound healing applications.
Original languageSpanish (Colombia)
JournalBiomimetics
Volume9
Issue number497
StatePublished - 16 Aug 2024

Types Minciencias

  • Artículos de investigación con calidad A2 / Q2

Cite this