A natural nanocomposite based on gelatin-collagen hydrogel and silk fibroin embedded with ZnFe LDH for biological applications

In this research, a novel hydrogel nanobiocomposite was developed by combining natural Collagen (Col) and Gelatin (Ge) biopolymers with Glutaraldehyde (GA), forming a cross-linked Col-Ge hydrogel. This hydrogel was further enhanced by adding Silk fibroin (SF) protein and ZnFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) for improved mechanical properties and antibacterial functionality. Various analytical techniques were employed to comprehensively characterize the structural features of the designed Col-Ge hydrogel/SF/ZnFe LDH nanocomposite. Biological tests, including MTT and hemolytic assays, demonstrated 95.25 % and 96.51 % cell viability for human skin fibroblast cells (Hu02) after 2 and 3 days. Also, in addition to non-toxicity, the fibroblast shape of Hu02 cells was entirely maintained. The nanocomposite exhibited only 4.83 %hemolytic activity on human RBCs, indicating excellent hemocompatibility. In inhibiting bacterial growth, it showed 27.51 % inhibition for E. coli and 16.8 % for S. aureus. These findings suggest that the Col-Ge hydrogel/SF/ZnFe LDH nanobiocomposite holds promise for biomedical applications.