Pottery, bone implements, and stone tools are routinely found at Neolithic sites. However, the integrity of textiles or silk is susceptible to degradation, and it is therefore very difficult for such materials to be preserved for 8,000 years. Although previous studies have provided important evidence of the emergence of weaving skills and tools, such as figuline spinning wheels and osseous lame...

An outstanding problem in protein chemistry is the determination of the arrangement or sequence of amino acid residues in the peptide chains. One approach to the partial solution of this problem is through a study of the smaller degradation products present in partial hydrolysates of proteins, preferably those produced on treatment with acid (1). This method is especially attractive when the pr...

Ultracentrifugal analyses of the native silk proteins extracted from the various parts of the middle silk gland of the mature silkworm have revealed that there exist four components with S°M,, values of 10S, 9-10S, 9S, and 4S in the extract . It is suggested that the fastest 10S component is the native fibroin synthesized in the posterior silk gland and transferred to the middle silk gland to b...

This work reports on the first study of thermally induced effect on energy transport in single filaments of silkworm (Bombyx mori) fibroin degummed mild (type 1), moderate (type 2), to strong (type 3). After heat treatment from 140 to 220°C, the thermal diffusivity of silk fibroin type 1, 2, and 3 increases up to 37.9, 20.9, and 21.5%, respectively. Our detailed scanning electron microscopy stu...

The cultivated silk, mulberry, is being used as biomaterial in different forms. Eri, tasar and muga are some of the known wild silk varieties. The studies on biomedical applications of electrospun mats produced from these wild silks are limited though few studies on eri silk are available. In this work, comparison was made between eri and tasar silk fibroin scaffolds for biomedical application....

PURPOSE We aimed to evaluate the intestinal anti-inflammatory properties of silk fibroin nanoparticles, around 100 nm in size, when loaded with the stilbene compound resveratrol, in an experimental model of rat colitis. METHODS Nanoparticles were loaded with resveratrol by adsorption. The biological effects of the resveratrol-loaded nanoparticles were tested both in vitro, in a cell culture o...

The unique properties of silk fibroin were combined with keratin to develop new wound-dressing materials. Silk fibroin/keratin (SF/K) films were prepared to reduce high levels of elastase found on chronic wounds. This improved biological function was achieved by the incorporation of a small peptide synthesized based on the reactive-site loop of the Bowman-Birk Inhibitor (BBI) protein. In vitro ...

Strongly alkaline electrolyzed water (SAEW) was prepared by electrolysis of tap water in a laboratory-made water electrolyzer. The pH of stored SAEW was stable for more than one month. The hardness of the electrolyzed water was 30% lower and the Na(+) concentration was 18% higher than those of the tap water. Silkworm cocoon shells were boiled in pH 11.50 SAEW at a ratio of 1∶40∼80 (W/V) for 20 ...

Recent years have witnessed the advancement of silk biomaterials in bone tissue engineering, although clinical application of the same is still in its infancy. In this study, the potential of pure nonmulberry Antheraea mylitta (Am) fibroin scaffold, without preloading with bone precursor cells, to repair calvarial bone defect in a rat model is explored and compared with its mulberry counterpart...

BACKGROUND Termites are worldwide pests causing considerable damage to agriculture, forestry and buildings. While various approaches have been tried to eliminate termite populations, the relevant toxicants are associated with certain risks to the environment and human health. RESULTS In this study, to combine the merits of effective chemical control by bifenthrin and a drug photoimmobilisatio...