The dual delivery of growth factors and antimicrobial peptide by PLGA/GO composite biofilms to promote skin-wound healing

Biodegradable biomaterials coated with active factors are effective medical devices to promote wound healing. However, the current strategies of adding active factors generally cause the degradation of biomaterials or damage to the bioactivity of the active factors. In this study, aimed at developing a simple strategy for promoting the surface-active factor functionalization of biomaterials, graphene oxide (GO) was chosen as an adhesive polymeric bridge-layer between the substrate poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), ponericin G1, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The surface morphology, physical properties, hydrophilicity, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial activity of the resultant composite biofilms were studied. According to the results obtained, the ponericin G1 and bFGF-grafted PLGA/GO composite biofilms (bFGF/ponericin G1@PLGA/GO) showed improved mechanical properties, excellent hydrophilicity, good compatibility, and effective antibacterial activity. Finally, the effect of the bFGF/ponericin G1@PLGA/GO composite biofilms on wound healing was investigated on a rat full-thickness skin wound model. In vivo wound closure and histological and immunofluorescence evaluations revealed that the bFGF/ponericin G1@PLGA/GO composite biofilms could effectively accelerate wound healing and exhibit a lower inflammatory reaction. Hence, the above-mentioned results suggest that the bFGF/ponericin G1@PLGA/GO composite biofilms may have huge potential in biomedical and skin-wound repair applications.