New Biomaterials Based on Native Silkworm Silk

초록

Interest in the use of reprocessed silks such as fibroin in biotechnological materials and in biomedical applications derives from the unique mechanical properties of these fibers and their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Furthermore, systematic in vivo studies indicate silk induces a foreign body response comparable to most commonly used degradable synthetic and natural polymers such as poly(glycolic acid)-poly(lactic acid) (PGA-PLA) copolymers and collagen. In the present study, we introduce new strategies to prepare biomaterials based on reprocessed native silkworm silk, such as for 2-D or 3-D scaffolds, wound dressings, elastic films, hydrogels, microspheres, nanosize fibers, and nanocomposites. The techniques to achieve these types of materials include electrospinning, blending or casting, biomineralization and the key aspect of the processing approach is based on generating concentrated (5.6-30%) aqueous solutions of fibroin through a modified silk solubilization procedure. Furthermore, to enhance the potential biocompatibility of this material we have used only aqueous processing and avoided the use of organic solvents or heavy metal catalysts that can pose problems when the processed materials are exposed to cells in vitro or in vivo. Thus, we developed an all-aqueous process for manufacturing new silk protein-based biomaterials at ambient conditions.