Alginate hydrogel-polyvinyl alcohol/silk fibroin/magnesium hydroxide nanorods: A novel scaffold with biological and antibacterial activity and improved mechanical properties

In this study, a nanobiocomposite scaffold was fabricated by combining sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol, silk fibroin and magnesium hydroxide nanorods. The structural characteristics and properties of the scaffold were identified by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR) and energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analyses. To introduce the application, biocompatibility, mechanical properties and biological activity of the scaffold were obtained. The composite was found to have high porosity, no cytotoxicity, excellent cellular adaptation, and most importantly Mg(OH)2 nanorod had antibacterial activity and inhibited the growth of bacteria. In addition, silk fibroin and alginate increased the scaffold strength due to mechanical tests. Hemolytic assay and cell metabolic activity of this novel nanobiocomposite showed that the hemolytic effect was less than 8% and about 92% of cells survived. Due to considerable biological activities and acceptable mechanical properties, the mentioned nanobiocomposite can be considered as a scaffold for possible use in wound dressing, tissue engineering and drug delivery systems.