Abstract
Silk proteins have been highlighted in the past decade for tissue engineering (TE) and skin regeneration due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and exceptional mechanical properties. While silk fibroin (SF) has high structural and mechanical stability with high potential as an external protective layer, traditionally discarded sericin (SS) has shown great potential as a natural-based hydrogel, promoting cell-cell interactions, making it an ideal material for direct wound contact. In this context, the present study proposes a new wound dressing approach by developing an SS/SF bilayer construct for full-thickness exudative wounds. The processing methodology implemented included an innovation element and the cryopreservation of the SS intrinsic secondary structure, followed by rehydration to produce a hydrogel layer, which was integrated with a salt-leached SF scaffold to produce a bilayer structure. In addition, a sterilization protocol was developed using supercritical technology (sCO2) to allow an industrial scale-up. The resulting bilayer material presented high porosity (>85%) and interconnectivity while promoting cell adhesion, proliferation, and infiltration of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). SS and SF exhibit distinct secondary structures, pore sizes, and swelling properties, opening new possibilities for dual-phased systems that accommodate the different needs of a wound during the healing process. The innovative SS hydrogel layer highlights the transformative potential of the proposed bilayer system for biomedical therapeutics and TE, offering insights into novel wound dressing fabrication.