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The comfort properties of a textile cannot be dissociated from its function. Considering this premise, we evaluated the physical and mechanical performance of a previously developed cosmeto-textile composed of cotton/elastane, functionalized with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and BSA/silk fibroin (BSA/SF) nanoemulsions, encapsulating α-tocopherol (vitamin E). The surface functionalization of cotton fabrics with the nanoemulsions was confirmed by fabric staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R250 and by FTIR-ATR. The comfort properties including wetting, stiffness, stretching, draping ability, electrical resistance, and air and vapor permeability were evaluated. The results revealed that the functionalization of cotton fabrics with the developed protein-based nanoemulsions did not disturb the comfort properties of the textile material nor its functionality. This gives a good indication of the potential of the developed breathable cosmeto-textile to be used in contact with the human body with acceptable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles of BSA and silk fibroin (SF) with entrapped α-tocopherol were produced via ultrasonic emulsification. Populations with particle size of 200-300 nm and highly negatively charged were obtained for all the tested formulations. Entrapment efficiencies of around 99% revealed the effective encapsulation of α-tocopherol into the produced nanoformulations. Generally, these nanodevices did not induce significant cytotoxicity to human skin keratinocytes for all the concentrations tested. The developed formulations showed free radical scavenging of ABTS.+ ability resulting from the synergistic effect between the proteins in formulation and the entrapped tocopherol. Overall, the results contribute for the establishment of BSA:VO and BSA:SF:VO as biodegradable and non-toxic nanoformulations for the functionalization of textile devices and controlled delivery of tocopherol into the skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]