Preparation and characterization of silk fibroin/polyethylene oxide nanofiber membranes with antibacterial activity

Bacterial infection is among the most common diseases that threaten human health. Antibiotics are effective in treating bacterial infections. However, the overuse of antibiotics will lead to an increase in bacterial resistance. To reduce the overuse of antibiotics and improve the effective use of antibiotics through slow release, silk fibroin (SF)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofiber membranes with different SF and PEO proportions were prepared by electrospinning. The ecofriendly solvent ethanol solution was used for electrospinning for better protection of antibiotic activity. The SEM showed that the surface of SF/PEO (2:8) and SF/PEO (3:7) was smoother and more uniform. With the increase of SF content, the thermal stability and hydrophilicity of SF/PEO nanofiber membranes were improved. The SF/PEO (3:7) nanofiber membrane had the best mechanical property and its maximum stress and strain were 4.6 1 ± 0.24 MPa and 16.36 ± 0.41%, respectively. Based on these good properties, SF/PEO (3:7) nanofiber membrane was chosen for loading and releasing gentamicin sulfate (GS). The fabricated (GS)/SF/PEO (3:7) nanofiber membrane exhibited good release efficiency and showed the good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These investigations indicated the GS/SF/PEO (3:7) nanofiber membrane (GS/SF/PEO) has a great potential for application in antibacterial materials.