Fabrication of biomedical hydrogel using silk fibroin and gelatin methacrylate reinforced by silver doped rGO nanosheets and incorporated curcumin-loaded PF127 micelles

Nanoparticle-reinforced composite hydrogels have been widely used for tissue engineering and biomedicine. In particular, hydrogels with multiple functionalization, such as self-healing, antibacterial, and cytocompatible properties, can facilitate their use in wound-healing and bio-adhesive applications. In this work, the multifunctional composite hydrogels were fabricated using silk fibroin (SF) and gelatin methacrylate (GelMA), incorporating silver-doped reduced graphene oxide (Ag@rGO) nanosheets and curcumin-loaded PF127 (PF127-Cur) micelles. The obtained hydrogels possessed an interconnected microstructure, good swelling properties (250–350%), and strong adhesion to the surface of different matrices, including rubber, metal, glass, plastic, wood, and finger skin. In addition, the hydrogels demonstrated self-healing, injectability, and electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the designed composite hydrogels demonstrated good antibacterial properties against the typical bacteria, Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli . CCK-8 assay, fluorescent images, and cell scratch assay confirmed that the composite hydrogels exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and cell pre-migration ability. The obtained data confirmed that the designed hydrogels possessed great potential for biomedical applications, such as wound healing and bio-adhesives.