Propolis-functionalized acellular fish skin scaffolds as biotechnological platforms for antimicrobial activity and regenerative wound healing

作者：Sima Bakhtazad, Sepehr Mehdizadeh, Nosratollah Zarghami, Ali Akbar Shabani, Mehdi Dadashpour, Younes Pilehvar · 发表于：BMC Biotechnology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1186/s12896-026-01155-9 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Wound Healing and Treatments、Silk-based biomaterials and applications、Collagen: Extraction and Characterization

BACKGROUND: Biotechnological advances in tissue engineering increasingly exploit naturally derived scaffolds as bioactive delivery systems. Acellular fish skin (AFS) provides a collagen-rich extracellular matrix favorable for tissue regeneration but lacks intrinsic antimicrobial activity. Propolis, a polyphenol-rich natural resin, exhibits antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties, yet its direct application is limited by burst release and local cytotoxicity. In this study, we aimed to develop and characterize a propolis-functionalized AFS scaffold as a multifunctional biomaterial capable of combining sustained antimicrobial activity with regenerative support for wound-healing applications. RESULTS: Lipid-preserved Tilapia-derived AFS was biofunctionalized with ethanolic propolis extract (EPE) through a vacuum-assisted impregnation process to obtain an EPE-AFS hybrid scaffold. The biotechnological modification preserved the collagenous architecture and porosity of the matrix, enhanced surface hydrophilicity (contact angle reduced from 91° ± 2° to 67° ± 3°), and maintained mechanical integrity (~ 13 MPa). Spectroscopic and microscopic analyses (FTIR, FE-SEM) confirmed successful deposition of polyphenolic components. The release profile demonstrated sustained polyphenol diffusion over 96 h (> 90% cumulative release). Functionally, cellular assays confirmed enhanced fibroblast adhesion and migration on propolis-functionalized scaffolds. Gene expression analysi...