Novel soy protein blend scaffolds loaded with antibiotics: Drug release profile—bacterial inhibition effects

Soy protein is a natural biocompatible and biodegradable material and can therefore be used in biomedical applications. However, the practical use of pure soy protein is limited, due to its unsatisfactory physical properties. We hypothesized that cross-linking and blending soy protein with other natural polymers would enhance its biostability and potential use for skin regeneration applications. In the current study, gelatin and alginate were chemically cross-linked to soy protein using the cross-linking agent carbodiimide, and a porous blend structure was obtained through lyophilization. The antibiotic drug clindamycin was incorporated into the matrix for local controlled release, enabling a continuous bactericidal effect. The study focused on the microstructure and weight loss as well as the release profile of clindamycin from the porous blend structure and its effect on bacterial inhibition. Our results show that these blend structures can be assembled into porous three-dimensional structures. The soy protein-alginate blends remained intact and stable for longer than the soy protein-gelatin blends. Clindamycin release from the soy protein-based scaffolds exhibited a high burst effect (70%) accompanied by a decrease in the release rate for up to 4 days. The clindamycin release was correlated with in vitro bacterial inhibition profiles which demonstrated a significant decrease in the bacterial viability and effectively inhibited S. aureus and S. albus for 4 days. These soy protein porous blend scaffolds may be potentially useful as a unique drug/cells carrier platform for skin regeneration applications.