Silk Fibroin Hydrogel-Assisted Controlled Release of Antifungal Drug Ketoconazole

Abstract

This research focused on preparing a ketoconazole-infused silk fibroin hydrogel to enhance patient compliance, leveraging the hydrogel's biocompatibility and biodegradability. The process used a 50% (v/v) ethanol, propanol, or glycerol solution treated with 2% (w/v) silk fibroin at 37°C. The use of glycerol quickened the gelation process. The hydrogel's structure was analyzed via SEM, and UV-VIS spectrometry was used to evaluate the encapsulation efficiency and ketoconazole release profile. The surface structure varied based on the formulation and the best encapsulation efficiency was observed with ethanol (60±1.78%), followed by propanol (56±2.72%) and glycerol (47±1.42%). The release profile demonstrated an initial burst release followed by 20 hours of sustained release. Furthermore, the hydrogel-encapsulated drug demonstrated effective antifungal activity against Aspergillus Niger. As a result, silk fibroin hydrogels are a promising option for controlled topical delivery of ketoconazole. Keywords: Silk fibroin, Controlled release, Hydrogels, Drug delivery.