Anti-oxidant enriched hybrid nanofibers: Effect on mechanical stability and biocompatibility.

Despite being a favorable candidate in wound dressing, collagen based biomaterials possess inferior mechanical properties which limit their usage. Collagen based hybrid nanofibers with other polymers can enhance their mechanical strength as well as their biological properties. Herein, we report collagen-silk fibroin hybrid nanofibers incorporated with fenugreek, an antioxidant, as a bioactive wound dressing material. The nanofiber mats were characterized using various experimental techniques. From the results, it was found that an increase in silk fibroin content in nanofibers improves the fiber diameter and tensile strength. The nanofibers also showed good antioxidant properties estimated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. Presence of collagen in the nanofibers enhanced the biocompatibility of the nanofibers. Fenugreek released from the matrix enhanced the migration of fibroblasts in vitro. In vivo studies showed that collagen-silk fibroin-fenugreek nanofibers enhanced the wound closure via minimal inflammation and early epithelialization than the untreated and silk fibroin-fenugreek nanofibers treated wounds. Our study suggests that the fenugreek incorporated collagen-silk fibroin nanofibers is a potential candidate for wound dressings in clinical applications.