Ionic Liquid-Assisted Synthesis of Mesoporous Silk Fibroin/Silica Hybrids for Biomedical Applications

This review supplies a report on fresh advances in the field of silk fibroin (SF) biopolymer and its blends with biopolymers as new biomaterials. The review also includes a subsection about silk fibroin mixtures with synthetic polymers. Silk fibroin is commonly used to receive biomaterials. However, the materials based on pure polymer present low mechanical parameters, and high enzymatic degradation rate. These properties can be problematic for tissue engineering applications. An increased interest in two- and three-component mixtures and chemically cross-linked materials has been observed due to their improved physico-chemical properties. These materials can be attractive and desirable for both academic, and, industrial attention because they expose improvements in properties required in the biomedical field. The structure, forms, methods of preparation, and some physico-chemical properties of silk fibroin are discussed in this review. Detailed examples are also given from scientific reports and practical experiments. The most common biopolymers: collagen (Coll), chitosan (CTS), alginate (AL), and hyaluronic acid (HA) are discussed as components of silk fibroin-based mixtures. Examples of binary and ternary mixtures, composites with the addition of magnetic particles, hydroxyapatite or titanium dioxide are also included and given. Additionally, the advantages and disadvantages of chemical, physical, and enzymatic cross-linking were demonstrated.

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Comparative Study of Silk Fibroin-Based Hydrogels and Their Potential as Material for 3-Dimensional (3D) Printing

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26133887 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (13) ◽

pp. 3887

Author(s):

Watcharapong Pudkon ◽

Chavee Laomeephol ◽

Siriporn Damrongsakkul ◽

Sorada Kanokpanont ◽

Juthamas Ratanavaraporn

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Silk Fibroin ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Mechanical Stability ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Structure Stability ◽

3 Dimensional ◽

Critical Technology ◽

Box Structure ◽

High Degree

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is regarded as a critical technology in material engineering for biomedical applications. From a previous report, silk fibroin (SF) has been used as a biomaterial for tissue engineering due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity and robust mechanical properties which provide a potential as material for 3D-printing. In this study, SF-based hydrogels with different formulations and SF concentrations (1–3%wt) were prepared by natural gelation (SF/self-gelled), sodium tetradecyl sulfate-induced (SF/STS) and dimyristoyl glycerophosphorylglycerol-induced (SF/DMPG). From the results, 2%wt SF-based (2SF) hydrogels showed suitable properties for extrusion, such as storage modulus, shear-thinning behavior and degree of structure recovery. The 4-layer box structure of all 2SF-based hydrogel formulations could be printed without structural collapse. In addition, the mechanical stability of printed structures after three-step post-treatment was investigated. The printed structure of 2SF/STS and 2SF/DMPG hydrogels exhibited high stability with high degree of structure recovery as 70.4% and 53.7%, respectively, compared to 2SF/self-gelled construct as 38.9%. The 2SF/STS and 2SF/DMPG hydrogels showed a great potential to use as material for 3D-printing due to its rheological properties, printability and structure stability.

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Oxygen Permeability of Silk Fibroin Hydrogels and Their Use as Materials for Contact Lenses: A Purposeful Analysis

Gels ◽

10.3390/gels7020058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 58

Author(s):

Traian V. Chirila

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

Bombyx Mori ◽

Silk Fibroin ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Oxygen Permeability ◽

Contact Lenses ◽

The Past ◽

Fibrous Protein ◽

Silk Moth ◽

Bombyx Mori Silk

Fibroin is a fibrous protein that can be conveniently isolated from the silk cocoons produced by the larvae of Bombyx mori silk moth. In its form as a hydrogel, Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BMSF) has been employed in a variety of biomedical applications. When used as substrates for biomaterial-cells constructs in tissue engineering, the oxygen transport characteristics of the BMSF membranes have proved so far to be adequate. However, over the past three decades the BMSF hydrogels have been proposed episodically as materials for the manufacture of contact lenses, an application that depends on substantially elevated oxygen permeability. This review will show that the literature published on the oxygen permeability of BMSF is both limited and controversial. Additionally, there is no evidence that contact lenses made from BMSF have ever reached commercialization. The existing literature is discussed critically, leading to the conclusion that BMSF hydrogels are unsuitable as materials for contact lenses, while also attempting to explain the scarcity of data regarding the oxygen permeability of BMSF. To the author’s knowledge, this review covers all publications related to the topic.

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Facile preparation for robust and freestanding silk fibroin films in a 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate ionic liquid system

Journal of Applied Polymer Science ◽

10.1002/app.42822 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 132 (47) ◽

pp. n/a-n/a ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lu Li ◽

Yanna Xiong ◽

Shitao Yu ◽

Shiwei Liu ◽

Fusheng Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ionic Liquid ◽

Silk Fibroin ◽

Liquid System ◽

Facile Preparation

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Milled non-mulberry silk fibroin microparticles as biomaterial for biomedical applications

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules ◽

10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.07.049 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 ◽

pp. 31-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Nandana Bhardwaj ◽

Rangam Rajkhowa ◽

Xungai Wang ◽

Dipali Devi

Keyword(s):

Silk Fibroin ◽

Biomedical Applications

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Pectin-cellulose hydrogel, silk fibroin and magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles hybrid nanocomposites for biomedical applications

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules ◽

10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.09.099 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Reza Eivazzadeh-Keihan ◽

Farnoush Ahmadpour ◽

Hooman Aghamirza Moghim Aliabadi ◽

Fateme Radinekiyan ◽

Ali Maleki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Silk Fibroin ◽

Magnesium Hydroxide ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Hybrid Nanocomposites ◽

Cellulose Hydrogel ◽

Magnesium Hydroxide Nanoparticles

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Fabrication of Silk Fibroin/Graphene Film with High Electrical Conductivity and Humidity Sensitivity

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym11111774 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1774 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Haoran Zhang ◽

Juntao Zhao ◽

Tieling Xing ◽

Shenzhou Lu ◽

Guoqiang Chen

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Silk Fibroin ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Wearable Sensors ◽

Graphene Film ◽

Natural Material ◽

Casting Method ◽

Good Biocompatibility ◽

Minimum Resistance

Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural material with good biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties, which are complementary to graphene with ultrahigh electrical conductivity. In this study, to maximally combine graphene and silk fibroin, a well-dispersed silk fibroin/graphene suspension was successfully prepared in a simple and effective way. Then we prepared a flexible conductive SF/graphene film with a minimum resistance of 72.1 ± 4.7 Ω/sq by the casting method. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the SF/graphene film was related to the water content of the film, and the variation was more than 200 times. Therefore, it will play an important role in the field of humidity sensors. It also has excellent mechanical properties in both wet and dry states. These unique features make this material a promising future in the fields of biomedical applications, wearable sensors, and implantable internal sensors.

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Influence of the Casting Concentration on the Mechanical and Optical Properties of FA/CaCl2-Derived Silk Fibroin Membranes

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21186704 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (18) ◽

pp. 6704

Author(s):

Alexander Kopp ◽

Laura Schunck ◽

Martin Gosau ◽

Ralf Smeets ◽

Simon Burg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Silk Fibroin ◽

Tensile Testing ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Toxic Chemicals ◽

Membrane Properties ◽

Limited Extent ◽

Dissolution Method ◽

Process Output ◽

Silkworm Bombyx Mori

In this study, we describe the manufacturing and characterization of silk fibroin membranes derived from the silkworm Bombyx mori. To date, the dissolution process used in this study has only been researched to a limited extent, although it entails various potential advantages, such as reduced expenses and the absence of toxic chemicals in comparison to other conventional techniques. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of different fibroin concentrations on the process output and resulting membrane properties. Casted membranes were thus characterized with regard to their mechanical, structural and optical assets via tensile testing, SEM, light microscopy and spectrophotometry. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using BrdU, XTT, and LDH assays, followed by live–dead staining. The formic acid (FA) dissolution method was proven to be suitable for the manufacturing of transparent and mechanically stable membranes. The fibroin concentration affects both thickness and transparency of the membranes. The membranes did not exhibit any signs of cytotoxicity. When compared to other current scientific and technical benchmarks, the manufactured membranes displayed promising potential for various biomedical applications. Further research is nevertheless necessary to improve reproducible manufacturing, including a more uniform thickness, less impurity and physiological pH within the membranes.

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