A novel poly(γ-glutamic acid)/silk-sericin hydrogel for wound dressing: Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation

• Novel biodegradable hydrogels from γ-PGA and SS were successfully fabricated.
• The preparation of hydrogel for wound dressing is simple.
• The addition of SS in hydrogel improved the mechanical and biological properties.
• The hydrogel has the feasibility to use in clinical application.

A novel multifunctional poly(γ-glutamic acid)/silk sericin (γ-PGA/SS) hydrogel has been developed and used as wound dressing. The physical and chemical properties of the γ-PGA/SS gels were systemically investigated. Furthermore, these γ-PGA/SS gels have been found to promote the L929 fibroblast cells proliferate, and in the in vivo study, significant stimulatory effects were also observed on granulation and capillary formation on day 9 in H-2-treated wounds, indicating that this new complex hydrogel could maintain a moist healing environment, protect the wound from bacterial infection, absorb excess exudates, and promote cell proliferation to reconstruct damaged tissue. Considering the simple preparation process and excellent biological property, this γ-PGA/SS hydrogel might have a wide range of applications in biomedical and clinical areas.