Surface modification of core-shell silk/PVA nanofibers by oxygen dielectric barrier discharge plasma: Studies of physico-chemical properties and drug release behavior

• Published in: Applied surface science 2019-05, Vol.475, p.219-229
• Main Authors: Ojah, Namita, Saikia, Diana, Gogoi, Dolly, Baishya, Pitambar, Ahmed, Gazi Ameen, Ramteke, Anand, Choudhury, Arup Jyoti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bombyx mori silk fibroin; Core-shell nanofibers; Dielectric barrier discharge plasma; Drug delivery; Mechanical properties; Surface modification
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.12.270

[Display omitted] •Surface modification of core-shell AMOX-BMSF/PVA nanofibers by O2 DBD plasma.•O2 DBD plasma treatment induces hydrophilicity on AMOX-BMSF/PVA nanofibers.•Enhanced mechanical and antimicrobial properties of AMOX-BMSF/PVA/O2 nanofibers.•AMOX-BMSF/PVA/O2 nanofibers show prolonged and controlled drug release behavior.•AMOX-BMSF/PVA/O2 nanofibers as promising drug-release wound dressings. Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BMSF), a natural protein polymer, has increasingly gained research interest as promising biomaterial in drug delivery application due to its excellent biological and physiochemical properties. In this study, antibiotic loaded silk/PVA core-shell nanofibers has been prepared followed by surface modification using homogeneous oxygen (O2) dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at atmospheric pressure. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used as the shell material whereas amoxicillin trihydrate is loaded into the silk solution (AMOX-BMSF) and the mixture is used as core material for fabricating core-shell nanofibers. O2 DBD plasma treatment induces surface hydrophilicity in AMOX-BMSF/PVA nanofibers due to incorporation of polar functional groups onto the surface as revealed from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The O2 DBD plasma treatment facilitates formation of hydrogen bonds on the surface of the nanofibers resulting in better mechanical behavior of the nanofibers. The DBD plasma treated nanofibers show relatively faster biphasic drug profile than the untreated nanofibers with prolonged antibacterial activities against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The results demonstrate that O2 DBD plasma surface modified AMOX-BMSF/PVA nanofibers can be explored as mechanically enhanced wound dressing in treatment of skin and wound Infections.