This study describes the developmental physicochemical properties of silk fibroin scaffolds derived from high-concentration aqueous silk fibroin solutions. The silk fibroin scaffolds were prepared with different initial concentrations (8, 10, 12 and 16%, in wt.%) and obtained by combining the salt-leaching and freeze-drying methodologies. The results indicated that the antiparallel β-pleated sh...

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the molecular structure and physiological activities of silk fibroin induced by three different sterilization methods (steam, gamma radiation and ethylene oxide) with different dose or time period of sterilization by means of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, mechanical properties and assessment of molecul...

We report an interesting finding of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystal growth in the silk fibroin (SF) hydrogel with different concentrations by a simple ion diffusion method. The experimental results indicate that the CaCO3 crystals obtained from silk fibroin gels with low and high concentrations are all calcites with unusual morphologies. Time-dependent growth study was carried out to investig...

Silk fibroin has attracted great interest in tissue engineering because of its outstanding biocompatibility, biodegradability and minimal inflammatory reaction. In this study, two kinds of biocomposites based on regenerated silk fibroin are fabricated by electrospinning and post-treatment processes, respectively. Firstly, regenerated silk fibroin/tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) hybrid nanofibers with...

In this study, Schwann cells, at a density of 1 × 10(5) cells/well, were cultured on regenerated silk fibroin nanofibers (305 ± 84 nm) prepared using the electrospinning method. Schwann cells cultured on the silk fibroin nanofibers appeared more ordered, their processes extended further, and they formed more extensive and complex interconnections. In addition, the silk fibroin nanofibers had no...

Silk-based matrix was produced for delivery of a model anticancer drug, methotrexate (MTX). The calculation of net charge of silk fibroin and MTX was performed to better understand the electrostatic interactions during matrix formation upon casting. Silk fibroin films were cast at pH 7.2 and pH 3.5. Protein kinase A was used to prepare phosphorylated silk fibroin. The phosphorylation content of...

Biopolymers, such as silk fibroin, collagen, and chitosan, are promising candidates for a variety of applications that merge the fields of biomedical optics and biomaterials. Biocompatible silk fibroin, in particular, shows promise as a biomaterial, based on a number of attributes. Silk fibroin is the strongest and toughest natural fiber known and is easily formed into robust films of thermodyn...

The degradation behavior of silk fibroin biomaterials in human body is definitely vital for the growth of tissues. Therefore, an investigation to regulate the degradation behaviors of silk fibroin films by changing the degree of cross-linking is presented in this paper. The in-vitro experiments in the simulated human body environment showed that the degradation rate of cross-linked silk fibroin...

Acellular scaffolds derived from Bombyx mori silk fibroin were investigated for their ability to support functional tissue regeneration in a rabbit model of urethra repair. A bi-layer silk fibroin matrix was fabricated by a solvent-casting/salt leaching process in combination with silk fibroin film casting to generate porous foams buttressed by homogeneous silk fibroin films. Ventral onlay uret...

Silk fibroin has been widely explored for many biomedical applications, due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. The aim of this work was to study the role of dialysis and freezing on structural conformation, thermal properties and morphology of silk fibroin hydrogels. Hydrogels were prepared after 3 and 7 days of dialysis and the effect of freezing was analyzed. For that purpose, a pa...