The degradation behavior of silk fibroin derived from different ionic liquid solvents

Establishing an appropriate degradation rate is critical for tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study, the degradation rate of silk fibroin three-dimensional scaffolds was regulated by changing the molecular weight (MW) of the silk fibroin. The solubility of silk fibroin depends primarily on the ionic ability of the slovent to dissolve silk fibroin, therefore, we regulated the MW of the silk fibroin using LiBr, Ca(NO3)2 and CaCl2 to dissolve the silk fibers. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the MW of the CaCl2-derived silk fibroin was lower than the MW produced using LiBr and Ca(NO3)2. In vitro and in vivo degradation results showed that the scaffolds prepared by low-MW silk fibroin were more rapidly degraded. Furthermore, FTIR and amino acid analysis suggested that the amorphous regions were preferentially degraded by Collagenase IA, while the SDS-PAGE and amino acid analysis indicated that the scaffolds were degraded into polypeptides (mainly at 10-30 kDa) and amino acids. Because the CaCl2-derived scaffolds contained abundant low MW polypeptides, inter-intramolecular entanglement and traversing of molecular chains in the crystallites reduced, which resulted in rapid degradation. The in vivo degradation results suggested that the degradation rate of the CaCl2-derived scaffolds was better matched to dermis regeneration, indicating that the degradation rate of silk fibroin can be effectively regulated by changing the MW to achieve a suitable dermal tissue regeneration rate.

Preparation of Silk Fibroin Microspheres and Its Cytocompatibility

The goal of this proof-of-concept study was the fabrication of porous silk fibroin (SF) microspheres which could be used as cell culture carriers under very mild processing conditions. The SF solution was differentiated into droplets which were induced by a syringe needle in the high-voltage electrostatic field. They were collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen and water in droplets formed ice crystals which sublimated during lyophilization and a great quantity of micropores shaped in SF microspheres. Finally, the microspheres were treated in ethanol so as to transfer the molecular conformation into β-sheet and then they were insoluble in water. SF particles were spherical in shape with diameters in the range of 208.4 μm to 727.3 μm, while the pore size on the surface altered from 0.3 μm to 10.7 μm. In vitro, the performances of SF microspheres were assessed by culturing L-929 fibroblasts cells. Cells were observed to be tightly adhered and fully extended;also a large number of connections were established between cells. After 5-day culture, it could be observed under a confocal laser scanning microscope that the porous microenvironment offered by SF particles accelerated proliferation of cells significantly. Furthermore, porous SF particles with smaller diameters (200 - 300 μm) might promote cell growth better. These new porous SF microspheres hold a great potential for cell culture carriers and issue engineering scaffolds.

The Cytocompatibility of Genipin-Crosslinked Silk Fibroin Films

There is an increasing demand for crosslinking methods of silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds in biomedical applications that could maintain the biocompatibility, bioactivity as well as improve the water resistance and mechanical properties of SF materials. In this study, SF was crosslinked effectively with genipin which is a naturally occurring iridoid glucoside and the crosslinking mechanism was investigated through FTIR and amino acid analysis. The results showed that genipin could react with the -NH2 groups on the side chains of SF macromolecules and to form inter- and intra-molecular covalent bonds, and improved the stability of SF materials significantly. In vitro, the performances of genipin-crosslinked SF films were assessed by seeding L929 cells and compared with ethanol-processed SF films, glutaraldehyde and polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether crosslinked ones. The genipin-crosslinked SF films showed a similar affinity to cells as ethanol-processed ones, and a higher bioactivity in promoting cell growth and proliferation, inhibition of cell apoptosis, and maintenance of normal cell cycle compared with glutaraldehyde and polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether crosslinked SF films. These features, combined with the decrease of brittleness of SF films crosslinked with chemical methods, substantiated genipin as an effective and biocompatible agent for the manufacturing of bioactive SF materials which used as tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery carriers.

Gelation of <i>Antheraea pernyi</i>Silk Fibroin Accelerated by Shearing

The rapid manufacture of silk fibroin gels in mild conditions is an important subject in the field of silk-based biomaterials. In this study, the gelation of Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin (ASF) aqueous solution was induced by shearing, without chemical cross-linking agents. Simple shearing controlled and accomplished the steady and rapid conformational transition to β-sheets with ease. The conformational transformation and rapid gelation mechanisms of ASF induced by shearing were tracked and analyzed by circular dichroism spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry, then compared with Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BSF). ASF quickly formed hydrogels within 24 - 48 h after shearing under different shearing rates for 30 - 90 min, resulting in sol-gel transformation when the β-sheet content reached nearly 50%, which is the minimum content needed to maintain a stable hydrogel system in ASF. The gel structures remained stable once formed. The rapid gelation of ASF through shearing compared with BSF was achieved because of ASF’s alternating polyalanine-containing units, which tend to form α-helix structures spontaneously. Further, the entropic cost during the conformational transition from the α-helix to the β-sheet structure is less than the cost of the transition from the random coil structure. This method is a simple, non-chemical cross-linking approach for the promotion of rapid gelation and the protection of the biological properties of ASF, and it may prove useful for application in the field of biomedical materials.