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Gayathri Natarajan

Bio: Gayathri Natarajan is an academic researcher from Fashion Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Fibroin & Sericin. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 2 citations.
Topics: Fibroin, Sericin, SILK

Papers
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Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: This chapter also deals with the biomedical and bioengineering applications of silk, which has been found to be appropriate for a variety of biomedical engineering applications.
Abstract: Silk fibers are a renewable protein biopolymer, which has the excellent mechanical properties and is also biocompatible. It is not only widely used in the textile industry but is also commonly used in medical applications. As silk fibers possess good biocompatibility and bioresorbability properties they were used in ancient times for biomedical engineering and surgical applications. Using silk fiber as a reinforcement for biopolymers could enhance the stiffness of scaffoldings and bone implants. Being a part of the fibrous protein family, silk possesses great mechanical strength, which in turn makes it suitable for use as a biomaterial. The evolution of silkworm silk started with its biomedical application as sutures for wound treatment. As silk fiber possesses excellent characteristics such as biocompatibility, absent or minimal immunogenicity, limited bacterial adhesion and controllable biodegradability, this natural biopolymer has been found to be appropriate for a variety of biomedical engineering applications. Raw silk fiber consists of silk fibroin, which is coated with a protein glue called sericin. Degumming is a surface modification process for the removal of sericin, which allows for wide control of the silk fiber’s properties, making the silk fiber suitable for use in the development and production of novel biocomposites with required mechanical and biodegradable properties. In the absence of sericin, that is, silk after the process of degumming, it can be employed in implantation and cell culture, as it prevents or allows only minimal inflammation. After the degumming process, silk fibers can be directly structured into three-dimensional frameworks called scaffolds. Following the consideration of the material properties and different architectures for fabrication, this chapter also deals with the biomedical and bioengineering applications of silk.

4 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors have reviewed the different sources of natural fibers, their properties, modification of natural fiber, the effect of treatments on natural fibers and their effective use as reinforcement for polymer composite materials.
Abstract: The increase in awareness of the damage caused by synthetic materials on the environment has led to the development of eco-friendly materials. The researchers have shown a lot of interest in developing such materials which can replace the synthetic materials. As a result, there is an increase in demand for commercial use of the natural fiber-based composites in recent years for various industrial sectors. Natural fibers are sustainable materials which are easily available in nature and have advantages like low-cost, lightweight, renewability, biodegradability and high specific properties. The sustainability of the natural fiber-based composite materials has led to upsurge its applications in various manufacturing sectors. In this paper, we have reviewed the different sources of natural fibers, their properties, modification of natural fibers, the effect of treatments on natural fibers, etc. We also summarize the major applications of natural fibers and their effective use as reinforcement for polymer composite materials.

441 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , a review of the properties of silk sericin, including its properties, properties of different forms, and newly developed as well as potential biomedical applications is presented.

25 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the potential of SS-SF composites in tissue engineering, elements which may contribute to their immunogenicity, and alternatives for their preparation and design, to modulate the immune response and take advantage of their useful properties are discussed.
Abstract: The unique properties of silk proteins (SPs), particularly silk sericin (SS) and silk fibroin (SF), have attracted attention in the design of scaffolds for tissue engineering over the past decades. Since SF has good mechanical properties, while SS displays bioactivity, scaffolds combining both proteins should exhibit complementary properties enhancing the potential of these materials. Unfortunately, SS-SF composites can generate chronic immune responses and their immunogenic element is not completely clear. The potential of SS-SF composites in tissue engineering, elements which may contribute to their immunogenicity, and alternatives for their preparation and design, to modulate the immune response and take advantage of their useful properties, are discussed in this review. It is known that SS can enhance β-sheet formation in SF, which may act as hydrophobic regions with a strong affinity for adsorption proteins inducing the chronic recruitment of inflammatory cells. Therefore, tailoring the exposure of hydrophobic regions at the scaffold surface should represent a viable strategy to modulate the immune response. This can be achieved by coating SS-SF composites with SS or other hydrophilic polymers, to take advantage of their antibiofouling properties. Research is still needed to realize the full potential of these composites for tissue engineering.

16 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , a summarized effort that includes the vicinity of biocomposites, majority of the category of eco-friendly polymers, natural fibres, highlighted with production techniques and properties of these composites are discussed.
Abstract: The rising environmental and ecological awareness has motivated hard work in support of growth of new pioneering resources for a variety of end-use application. Polymeric composites prepared from natural resources, occupied substantial research awareness from the last upcoming years. In this paper a summarized effort that includes the vicinity of biocomposites, majority of the category of eco-friendly polymers, natural fibres, highlighted with production techniques and properties of these composites are discussed. A variety of interface alteration methods were included to advance the fibre–matrix bond resultant in the improvement of different characteristics of the bio based composites. This paper conclude that the bio based composites constitute a promising field in polymeric composites that increase awareness for applications in various fields ranges from vehicle to the construction industries.