Dual In Situ Integration for Braided Silk Fibers Enabling Multifunctional Bioactive Sutures

Abstract

Developing surgical sutures with adjustable bioactivities is essential for diverse surgical interventions. However, adversely affecting their mechanical integrity, biocompatibility, and bioactivity poses a significant challenge. Herein, we present a silk-based bioactive suture that incorporates silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and curcumin (Cur) via a dual in situ integration strategy. This innovative approach leverages the unique reactive groups and molecular interactions inherent in silk to facilitate the in situ reduction of AgNPs and the conformal loading of Cur. Extensive in vitro and in vivo evaluations confirm the suture's multifunctionality. This suture excels in real-time wound monitoring due to its sensitive colorimetric pH response. It is biocompatible and offers strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits, essential for infection prevention and inflammation control postsurgery. Moreover, it actively aids wound healing by promoting angiogenesis and collagen deposition, vital for effective tissue repair. This approach provides a promising foundation for creating advanced smart sutures with on-demand bioactivities and on-site monitoring capabilities.

Keywords

accelerated wound healing / anti-inflammation / bioactive suture / in situ integration / pH responsive

References

[1] M. Liu, Y. Zhang, K. Liu, et al., “Biomimicking Antibacterial Opto-Electro Sensing Sutures Made of Regenerated Silk Proteins,” Advanced Materials33, no. 1 (2020): 2004733.

[2] K. Wen, C. Zhang, G. Zhang, et al., “Jellyfish-Inspired Artificial Spider Silk for Luminous Surgical Sutures,” Advanced Materials36 (2024): 2314158.

[3] D. Ghosh, R. Urie, A. Chang, et al., “Light-Activated Tissue-Integrating Sutures as Surgical Nanodevices,” Advanced Healthcare Materials8, no. 14 (2019): 1900084.

[4] Y. Li, Q. Meng, S. Chen, et al., “Advances, Challenges, and Prospects for Surgical Suture Materials,” Acta Biomaterialia168 (2023): 78-112.

[5] X. Wang, P. Liu, Q. Wu, et al., “Sustainable Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Silk Suture With Surface Modification of Combined-Therapy Drugs for Surgical Site Infection,” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces14, no. 9 (2022): 11177-11191.

[6] J. Cai, M. Zhang, J. Peng, et al., “Peptide-AIE Nanofibers Functionalized Sutures With Antimicrobial Activity and Subcutaneous Traceability,” Advanced Materials36, no. 29 (2024): 2400531.

[7] E. Altun, C. Bayram, M. Gultekinoglu, et al., “Pressure-Spun Fibrous Surgical Sutures for Localized Antibacterial Delivery: Development, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation,” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces15, no. 39 (2023): 45561-45573.

[8] Q. Zhang, Y. Qiao, C. Li, et al., “Chitosan/Gelatin-Tannic Acid Decorated Porous Tape Suture With Multifunctionality for Tendon Healing,” Carbohydrate Polymers268 (2021): 118246.

[9] H. Han, L. Tang, Y. Li, et al., “A Multifunctional Surgical Suture With Electroactivity Assisted by Oligochitosan/Gelatin-Tannic Acid for Promoting Skin Wound Healing and Controlling Scar Proliferation,” Carbohydrate Polymers320 (2023): 121236.

[10] X. Li, Y. Luo, F. Yang, et al., “In Situ-Formed Micro Silk Fibroin Composite Sutures for Pain Management and Anti-Infection,” Composites, Part B: Engineering260 (2023): 110729.

[11] A. O. Ademuyiwa, A. O. Adisa, S. Bach, et al., “Alcoholic Chlorhexidine Skin Preparation or Triclosan-Coated Sutures to Reduce Surgical Site Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of High-Quality Randomised Controlled Trials,” Lancet Infectious Diseases22, no. 8 (2022): 1242-1251.

[12] F. López-Saucedo, G. G. Flores-Rojas, J. López-Saucedo, et al., “Antimicrobial Silver-Loaded Polypropylene Sutures Modified by Radiation-Grafting,” European Polymer Journal100 (2018): 290-297.

[13] X. Deng, M. Qasim, and A. Ali, “Engineering and Polymeric Composition of Drug-Eluting Suture: A Review,” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A109, no. 10 (2021): 2065-2081.

[14] M. Tummalapalli, S. Anjum, S. Kumari, and B. Gupta, “Antimicrobial Surgical Sutures: Recent Developments and Strategies,” Polymer Reviews56, no. 4 (2016): 607-630.

[15] F. Xue, S. Zhao, H. Tian, et al., “Two Way Workable Microchanneled Hydrogel Suture to Diagnose, Treat and Monitor the Infarcted Heart,” Nature Communications15, no. 1 (2024): 864.

[16] Y. Xiao, Z. Yang, B. Guo, et al., “Strong and Tough Biofibers Designed by Dual Crosslinking for Sutures,” Advanced Functional Materials34, no. 14 (2023): 2313131.

[17] K. Numata and D. L. Kaplan, “Silk Proteins: Designs From Nature With Multipurpose Utility and Infinite Future Possibilities,” Advanced Materials37 (2024): 2411256.

[18] J. K. Sahoo, O. Hasturk, T. Falcucci, and D. L. Kaplan, “Silk Chemistry and Biomedical Material Designs,” Nature Reviews Chemistry7, no. 5 (2023): 302-318.

[19] D. Lin, M. Li, L. Wang, et al., “Multifunctional Hydrogel Based on Silk Fibroin Promotes Tissue Repair and Regeneration,” Advanced Functional Materials34 (2024): 2405255.

[20] J. Ding, Z. Cheng, Y. Ma, et al., “Engineering Injectable and Highly Interconnected Porous Silk Fibroin Microspheres for Tissue Regeneration,” Advanced Healthcare Materials14 (2024): 2402932.

[21] K. Quan, Y. Lu, Z. Mao, et al., “Functionalized-Nanoparticles/Silk Fibroin Coating With Anti-Adhesive and Photothermal Capabilities to Prevent Implant-Associated Infections,” Chemical Engineering Journal486 (2024): 150147.

[22] X. Pan, R. Li, W. Li, et al., “Silk Fibroin Hydrogel Adhesive Enables Sealed-Tight Reconstruction of Meniscus Tears,” Nature Communications15, no. 1 (2024): 2651.

[23] E. Kharlampieva, D. Zimnitsky, M. Gupta, et al., “Redox-Active Ultrathin Template of Silk Fibroin: Effect of Secondary Structure on Gold Nanoparticle Reduction,” Chemistry of Materials21, no. 13 (2009): 2696-2704.

[24] X. Fei, M. Jia, X. Du, et al., “Green Synthesis of Silk Fibroin-Silver Nanoparticle Composites With Effective Antibacterial and Biofilm-Disrupting Properties,” Biomacromolecules14, no. 12 (2013): 4483-4488.

[25] F. Xiao, Z. Chen, Z. Wei, and L. Tian, “Hydrophobic Interaction: A Promising Driving Force for the Biomedical Applications of Nucleic Acids,” Advanced Science7, no. 16 (2020): 2001048.

[26] G. Yin, J. Wu, L. Ye, et al., “Dynamic Adaptive Wrinkle-Structured Silk Fibroin/Mxene Composite Fibers for Switchable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding,” Advanced Functional Materials35 (2024): 2314425.

[27] Z. Mao, X. Bi, C. Yu, et al., “Mechanically Robust and Personalized Silk Fibroin-Magnesium Composite Scaffolds With Water-Responsive Shape-Memory for Irregular Bone Regeneration,” Nature Communications15, no. 1 (2024): 4160.

[28] Y. Zhang, H. Lu, M. Zhang, et al., “In Situ Mineralizing Spinning of Strong and Tough Silk Fibers for Optical Waveguides,” ACS Nano17, no. 6 (2023): 5905-5912.

[29] S. H. Kim, Y. K. Yeon, J. M. Lee, et al., “Precisely Printable and Biocompatible Silk Fibroin Bioink for Digital Light Processing 3D Printing,” Nature Communications9, no. 1 (2018): 1620.

[30] H. Liu, L. Jin, S. Zhu, et al., “Interfacial Electronic Modulation on Polyaniline/Curcumin Fiber for Photo-Powered Rapid Wound Healing,” Nano Today57 (2024): 102397.

[31] A. Ounkaew, P. Kasemsiri, K. Jetsrisuparb, et al., “Synthesis of Nanocomposite Hydrogel Based Carboxymethyl Starch/Polyvinyl Alcohol/Nanosilver for Biomedical Materials,” Carbohydrate Polymers248 (2020): 116767.

[32] Y. Gong, P. Wang, R. Cao, et al., “Exudate Absorbing and Antimicrobial Hydrogel Integrated With Multifunctional Curcumin-Loaded Magnesium Polyphenol Network for Facilitating Burn Wound Healing,” ACS Nano17, no. 22 (2023): 22355-22370.

[33] Y. Liu, C.-H. Liu, T. Debnath, et al., “Silver Nanoparticle Enhanced Metal-Organic Matrix With Interface-Engineering for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution,” Nature Communications14, no. 1 (2023): 541.

[34] Y. Zou, X. Chen, P. Yang, et al., “Regulating the Absorption Spectrum of Polydopamine,” Science Advances6, no. 36 (2020): eabb4696.

[35] G. Liu, P. Xia, B. Li, et al., “Strong and Tough Tendon-Mimetic Silk Fibroin for Tissue Regeneration,” Advanced Healthcare Materials14, no. 15 (2025): 2500428.

[36] A. Mekkawy, M. El-Mokhtar, N. Nafady, et al., “In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Biologically Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles for Topical Applications: Effect of Surface Coating and Loading into Hydrogels,” International Journal of Nanomedicine12 (2017): 759-777.

[37] Y. Peng, Y. Shang, J. Che, et al., “Multifunctional Analgesic Sutures From Microfluidic Spinning Technology,” Advanced Healthcare Materials14 (2024): 2402420.

[38] Q. Zhang, Y. Qiao, J. Zhu, et al., “Electroactive and Antibacterial Surgical Sutures Based on Chitosan–Gelatin/Tannic Acid/Polypyrrole Composite Coating,” Composites, Part B: Engineering223 (2021): 109140.

[39] J. Xiao, Z. Zhou, G. Zhong, T. Xu, and X. Zhang, “Self-Sterilizing Microneedle Sensing Patches for Machine Learning-Enabled Wound pH Visual Monitoring,” Advanced Functional Materials34, no. 22 (2024): 2315067.

[40] H. Kim, J. H. Kim, M. Jeong, et al., “Bioelectronic Sutures With Electrochemical pH-Sensing for Long-Term Monitoring of the Wound Healing Progress,” Advanced Functional Materials34, no. 40 (2024): 2402501.

[41] T. T. Li, L. Sun, Y. Zhang, et al., “Chitosan-Based Antibacterial Microspheres Loaded Multifunctional Janus Composite Membranes With Unidirectional Biofluid Transport, Antioxidant and pH-Responsive Monitoring,” Chemical Engineering Journal472 (2023): 144820.

[42] Y. G. Chen, C. X. Li, Y. Zhang, et al., “Hybrid Suture Coating for Dual-Staged Control over Antibacterial Actions to Match Well Wound Healing Progression,” Materials Horizons9, no. 11 (2022): 2824-2834.

[43] Z. Qin, Y. Zheng, Y. Wang, et al., “Versatile Roles of Silver in Ag-Based Nanoalloys for Antibacterial Applications,” Coordination Chemistry Reviews449 (2021): 214218.

[44] D. Zheng, C. Huang, H. Huang, et al., “Antibacterial Mechanism of Curcumin: A Review,” Chemistry & Biodiversity17, no. 8 (2020): e2000171.

[45] M. C. A. de Oliveira, F. A. G. da Silva, M. M. da Costa, N. Rakov, and H. P. de Oliveira, “Curcumin-Loaded Electrospun Fibers: Fluorescence and Antibacterial Activity,” Advanced Fiber Materials2, no. 5 (2020): 256-264.

[46] F. C. Daoud, F. M'Zali, A. Zabala, N. Moore, and A. M. Rogues, “Do Different Sutures With Triclosan Have Different Antimicrobial Activities? A Pharmacodynamic Approach,” Antibiotics (USSR)11, no. 9 (2022): 1195.

[47] H. Ji, Z. Zhang, C. Wang, X. Li, G. Zhang, and D. Liu, “In Vitro Cytocompatibility of Triclosan Coated Polyglactin910 Sutures,” Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine35, no. 1 (2024): 35.

[48] D. M. Syukri, O. F. Nwabor, S. Singh, and S. P. Voravuthikunchai, “Antibacterial Functionalization of Nylon Monofilament Surgical Sutures Through In Situ Deposition of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles,” Surface and Coatings Technology413 (2021): 127090.

[49] Y. Min, R. Han, G. Li, et al., “The pH-Sensitive Optical Fiber Integrated CMCS-PA@Fe Hydrogels for Photothermal Therapy and Real-Time Monitoring of Infected Wounds,” Advanced Functional Materials33, no. 16 (2023): 2212803.

[50] C. Geng, S. He, S. Yu, et al., “Achieving Clearance of Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infection and Rapid Cutaneous Wound Regeneration Using an ROS-Balancing-Engineered Heterojunction,” Advanced Materials36, no. 16 (2024): 2310599.

[51] S. V. Jovanovic, C. W. Boone, S. Steenken, M. Trinoga, and R. B. Kaskey, “How Curcumin Works Preferentially With Water Soluble Antioxidants,” Journal of the American Chemical Society123 (2001): 3064-3068.

[52] D. Zhao, J. Liu, G. Liu, et al., “Ascorbyl palmitate/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex Loaded Nanofibrous Membrane for Accelerated Diabetic Wound Healing,” Interdiscip Mater4, no. 1 (2024): 175-189.

[53] F. Wang, M. Sun, D. Li, et al., “Multifunctional Asymmetric Bacterial Cellulose Membrane With Enhanced Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities for Promoting Infected Wound Healing,” Small19, no. 48 (2023): 2303591.

[54] Y. Zhang, S. Tian, L. Huang, et al., “Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive and Raman-Traceable Hydrogel Combining Photodynamic and Immune Therapy for Postsurgical Cancer Treatment,” Nature Communications13, no. 1 (2022): 4553.

[55] L. Sheng, Z. Zhang, Y. Zhang, et al., “A Novel “Hot Spring”-Mimetic Hydrogel With Excellent Angiogenic Properties for Chronic Wound Healing,” Biomaterials264 (2021): 120414.

[56] C. Li, Y.-X. Zhu, Y. Yang, et al., “Bioinspired Multifunctional Cellulose Film: In Situ Bacterial Capturing and Killing for Managing Infected Wounds,” Bioactive Materials36 (2024): 595-612.

[57] J. Chi, X. Zhang, C. Chen, C. Shao, Y. Zhao, and Y. Wang, “Antibacterial and Angiogenic Chitosan Microneedle Array Patch for Promoting Wound Healing,” Bioactive Materials5, no. 2 (2020): 253-259.

[58] Y. Yang, Y. Liang, J. Chen, X. Duan, and B. Guo, “Mussel-Inspired Adhesive Antioxidant Antibacterial Hemostatic Composite Hydrogel Wound Dressing via Photo-Polymerization for Infected Skin Wound Healing,” Bioactive Materials8 (2022): 341-354.

[59] Q. Liu, X. Liu, L. Fan, et al., “Ferroelectric Catalytic BaTiO₃-Based Composite Insoles to Promote Healing of Infected Wounds: Analysis of Antibacterial Efficacy and Angiogenesis,” Interdisciplinary Materials3, no. 5 (2024): 757-774.

[60] J. Deng, M. Hu, Z. Cai, et al., “A Highly Stable, Multifunctional Janus Dressing for Treating Infected Wounds,” Advanced Healthcare Materials13, no. 27 (2024): 2401345.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 The Author(s). Interdisciplinary Materials published by Wuhan University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.