# Wound Dressing Based on Cassava Silk-Chitosan

## TL;DR

A new wound dressing made from cassava silk and chitosan shows promise for drug delivery and antibacterial use.

## Contribution

A novel composite sponge using cassava silk fibroin and chitosan is developed with drug delivery and antibacterial properties.

## Key findings

- The CSF-CS sponge has a 3D porous structure with over 70% porosity and an expansion rate over 400%.
- The sponge shows good mechanical strength and significant antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli.
- Ibuprofen-loaded sponges demonstrate effective drug delivery capabilities.

## Abstract

The application prospects of composite sponges with antibacterial and drug-carrying functions in the field of medical tissue engineering are extensive. A solution of cassava silk fibroin (CSF) was prepared with Ca(NO3)2 as a solvent, which was then combined with chitosan (CS) to create a sponge-porous material by freeze-drying. The CSF-CS composite sponge with a mesh structure was successfully fabricated through hydrogen bonding. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared absorption (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to investigate the appearance and structure of the cassava silk’s fibroin materials, specifically examining the impact of different mass percentages of CS on the sponge’s structure. The swelling rate and mechanical properties of the CSF-CS sponge were analyzed, along with its antibacterial properties. Furthermore, by incorporating ibuprofen as a model drug into these loaded sponges, their potential efficacy as efficient drug delivery systems was demonstrated. The results indicate that the CSF-CS sponge possesses a three-dimensional porous structure with over 70% porosity and an expansion rate exceeding 400% while also exhibiting good resistance against pressure. Moreover, it exhibits excellent drug-carrying ability and exerts significant bacteriostatic effects on Escherichia coli. Overall, these findings support considering the CSF-CS composite sponge as a viable candidate for use in drug delivery systems or wound dressings.