Formulation and Evaluation of Nanosilver Loaded Silk Fibroin Topical Gel

Abstract

• The skin is providing barrier to the outside protecting the body from infection, radiation, and extremes of temperature.
• There are various types of woundswhich can damage the skin including abrasions, lacerations, rupture injuries, punctures, and penetrating wounds.
• Many of the wounds are superficial requiring local first aidincluding cleansing and dressing.
• But some wounds are deeper and need medical attention to prevent infection and loss of function, due to damage to underlying structures like bone, muscle, tendon, arteries and nerves.
• The purpose of medical care for wounds is to prevent complications and function. While important, cosmetic results are not the primary consideration for wound repair.
• Wound healing, a common clinical entity contemporary to human beings, most often susceptible to microbial infection. The ultimate goal for wound healing is a speedy recovery with minimal scarring and maximal function.

Different approaches such as use of antimicrobials and cell growth promoting agents have been used for achieving the set goal. Silk fibroin, a cell growth promoter has been used as wound healing agent.

Out of the present antimicrobial agents silver nanoparticles exhibit broad spectrum of anti-microbial activity. The mono dispersed silver nanoparticles with narrow particle size distribution are more effective anti bacterial agents, because of high surface/volume fraction, so that large populations of silver atoms are in direct contact with the environment. Silver Nanoparticles are non toxic to human cell to the tune of 350µg/day.