Development of Salmon Sperm DNA/Regenerated Silk Bio-Based Films for Biomedical Studies on Human Keratinocyte HaCaT Cells under Solar Spectrum

• Published in: Journal of Functional Biomaterials
• Main Authors: Maria Rachele Ceccarini, Francesca Ripanti, Veronica Raggi, Alessandro Paciaroni, Caterina Petrillo, Lucia Comez, Kevin Donato, Matteo Bertelli, Tommaso Beccari, Luca Valentini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
• Subjects: regenerated silk; DNA; biopolymers; biomedical devices; cell metabolism
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/14/5/280

In this study, we fabricated adhesive patches from silkworm-regenerated silk and DNA to safeguard human skin from the sun’s rays. The patches are realized by exploiting the dissolution of silk fibers (e.g., silk fibroin (SF)) and salmon sperm DNA in formic acid and CaCl₂ solutions. Infrared spectroscopy is used to investigate the conformational transition of SF when combined with DNA; the results indicated that the addition of DNA provides an increase in the SF crystallinity. UV–Visible absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopy showed strong absorption in the UV region and the presence of B-form of DNA once dispersed in the SF matrix, respectively. Water absorption measurements as well as thermal dependence of water sorption and thermal analysis, suggested the stability of the fabricated patches. Biological results on cellular viability (MTT assay) of keratinocyte HaCaT cells after exposures to the solar spectrum showed that both SF and SF/DNA patches are photo-protective by increasing the cellular viability of keratinocytes after UV component exposure. Overall, these SF/DNA patches promise applications in wound dressing for practical biomedical purposes.