Topic
Fibroin
About: Fibroin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8163 publications have been published within this topic receiving 189727 citations. The topic is also known as: Silk fibroin.
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TL;DR: Studies with well-defined silkworm silk fibers and films suggest that the core silk fibroin fibers exhibit comparable biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo with other commonly used biomaterials such as polylactic acid and collagen.
Abstract: Silk from the silkworm, Bombyx mori , has been used as biomedical suture material for centuries. The unique mechanical properties of these fibers provided important clinical repair options for many applications. During the past 20 years, some biocompatibility problems have been reported for silkworm silk; however, contamination from residual sericin (glue-like proteins) was the likely cause. More recent studies with well-defined silkworm silk fibers and films suggest that the core silk fibroin fibers exhibit comparable biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo with other commonly used biomaterials such as polylactic acid and collagen. Furthermore, the unique mechanical properties of the silk fibers, the diversity of side chain chemistries for ‘decoration’ with growth and adhesion factors, and the ability to genetically tailor the protein provide additional rationale for the exploration of this family of fibrous proteins for biomaterial applications. For example, in designing scaffolds for tissue engineering these properties are particularly relevant and recent results with bone and ligament formation in vitro support the potential role for this biomaterial in future applications. To date, studies with silks to address biomaterial and matrix scaffold needs have focused on silkworm silk. With the diversity of silk-like fibrous proteins from spiders and insects, a range of native or bioengineered variants can be expected for application to a diverse set of clinical needs.
3,067 citations
TL;DR: Silks are fibrous proteins with remarkable mechanical properties produced in fiber form by silkworms and spiders that are biocompatible when studied in vitro and in vivo.
Abstract: Silks are fibrous proteins with remarkable mechanical properties produced in fiber form by silkworms and spiders. Silk fibers in the form of sutures have been used for centuries. Recently regenerated silk solutions have been used to form a variety of biomaterials, such as gels, sponges and films, for medical applications. Silks can be chemically modified through amino acid side chains to alter surface properties or to immobilize cellular growth factors. Molecular engineering of silk sequences has been used to modify silks with specific features, such as cell recognition or mineralization. The degradability of silk biomaterials can be related to the mode of processing and the corresponding content of β-sheet crystallinity. Several primary cells and cell lines have been successfully grown on different silk biomaterials to demonstrate a range of biological outcomes. Silk biomaterials are biocompatible when studied in vitro and in vivo. Silk scaffolds have been successfully used in wound healing and in tissue engineering of bone, cartilage, tendon and ligament tissues.
2,236 citations
TL;DR: This protocol includes methods to extract silk from B. mori cocoons to fabricate hydrogels, tubes, sponges, composites, fibers, microspheres and thin films, used directly as biomaterials for implants, as scaffolding in tissue engineering and in vitro disease models, as well as for drug delivery.
Abstract: Silk fibroin, derived from Bombyx mori cocoons, is a widely used and studied protein polymer for biomaterial applications. Silk fibroin has remarkable mechanical properties when formed into different materials, demonstrates biocompatibility, has controllable degradation rates from hours to years and can be chemically modified to alter surface properties or to immobilize growth factors. A variety of aqueous or organic solvent-processing methods can be used to generate silk biomaterials for a range of applications. In this protocol, we include methods to extract silk from B. mori cocoons to fabricate hydrogels, tubes, sponges, composites, fibers, microspheres and thin films. These materials can be used directly as biomaterials for implants, as scaffolding in tissue engineering and in vitro disease models, as well as for drug delivery.
2,165 citations
TL;DR: Emulsion formation and micellar structures from aqueous solutions of reconstituted silkworm silk fibroin are identified as a first step in the process to control water and protein–protein interactions and mimics the behaviour of similar native silk proteins in vivo.
Abstract: Silk spinning by insects and spiders leads to the formation of fibres that exhibit high strength and toughness. The lack of understanding of the protein processing in silk glands has prevented the recapitulation of these properties in vitro from reconstituted or genetically engineered silks. Here we report the identification of emulsion formation and micellar structures from aqueous solutions of reconstituted silkworm silk fibroin as a first step in the process to control water and protein-protein interactions. The sizes (100-200 nm diameter) of these structures could be predicted from hydrophobicity plots of silk protein primary sequence. These micelles subsequently aggregated into larger 'globules' and gel-like states as the concentration of silk fibroin increased, while maintaining solubility owing to the hydrophilic regions of the protein interspersed among the larger hydrophobic regions. Upon physical shearing or stretching structural transitions, increased birefringence and morphological alignment were demonstrated, indicating that this process mimics the behaviour of similar native silk proteins in vivo. Final morphological features of these silk materials are similar to those observed in native silkworm fibres.
1,229 citations
TL;DR: Electrospun silk-fibroin-based scaffolds are potential candidates for bone tissue engineering and the mild aqueous process required to spin the fibers offers an important option for delivery of labile cytokines and other components into the system.
Abstract: Silk fibroin fiber scaffolds containing bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and/or nanoparticles of hydroxyapatite (nHAP) prepared via electrospinning were used for in vitro bone formation from human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). BMP-2 survived the aqueous-based electrospinnig process in bioactive form. hMSCs were cultured for up to 31 days under static conditions in osteogenic media on the scaffolds (silk/PEO/BMP-2, silk/PEO/nHAP, silk/PEO/nHAP/BMP-2) and controls (silk/PEO, silk/PEO extracted). Electrospun silk fibroin-based scaffolds supported hMSC growth and differentiation toward osteogenic outcomes. The scaffolds with the co-processed BMP-2 supported higher calcium deposition and enhanced transcript levels of bone-specific markers than in the controls, indicating that these nanofibrous electrospun silk scaffolds were an efficient delivery system for BMP-2. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the apatite formed on the silk fibroin/BMP-2 scaffolds had higher crystallinity than on the silk fibroin scaffold controls. In addition, nHAP particles were incorporated into the electrospun fibrous scaffolds during processing and improved bone formation. The coexistence of BMP-2 and nHAP in the electrospun silk fibroin fibers resulted in the highest calcium deposition and upregulation of BMP-2 transcript levels when compared with the other systems. The results suggest that electrospun silk-fibroin-based scaffolds are potential candidates for bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, the mild aqueous process required to spin the fibers offers an important option for delivery of labile cytokines and other components into the system.
1,115 citations