Evaluation of Silk Fibroin Nanofibrous Dressing Incorporating Niosomal Propolis, for Potential Use in Wound Healing

Among wound care products, nanofibrous structure incorporating herbal ingredients with the potential of sustained and localized release are currently of great interest. In this study, the nano-niosomal formulation of an effective herbal ingredient, Ethanolic Extract of Propolis (EEP), is introduced in a silk fibroin (SF)-based nanofibrous mat via blend electrospinning and evaluated as a wound dressing. According to the results, the size and encapsulation efficacy of drug-loaded niosomes are 404.755 nm, and 76.63 +/- 0.634 %, respectively. Embedding niosomal EEP into the SF nanofiber significantly slowed the release of drug, and a sustained, uniform release was observed during 14 days of assessment. Cell culture studies confirm that the drug-loaded niosomal nanofibrous dressing could promote greater cell proliferation. Interestingly, EEP-loaded nanofibrous dressings show greater cell proliferation after 72 hours. Niosomal EEP (10 %) - incorporated nanofibers, as the optimized formulation, provides effective antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli. Taken together, these results suggest that the incorporation of niosomal EEP in the SF nanofibers shows great potential for sustained-release and would be a good candidate as a bioactive and antibacterial wound dressing in wound healing applications.