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Robust and responsive silk ionomer microcapsules.

Chunhong Ye1, Olga Shchepelina, Rossella Calabrese

  • 1School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P R China.

Biomacromolecules
|November 5, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Researchers developed robust, pH-responsive microcapsules using biocompatible silk fibroin. These silk ionomer microcapsules offer superior stability and controlled release, outperforming synthetic alternatives for cell encapsulation.

Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Polymer Chemistry

Background:

  • Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a common technique for creating microcapsules.
  • Traditional LbL microcapsules often utilize synthetic polyelectrolytes, which can have limitations in biocompatibility and stability.
  • Silk fibroin offers a promising biocompatible alternative for material fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assemble robust and pH-responsive thin-shell microcapsules using modified silk fibroin.
  • To evaluate the stability and pH-responsive behavior of these novel silk-based microcapsules.
  • To assess their potential for controlled loading/unloading of macromolecules and cell encapsulation.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of microcapsules via layer-by-layer assembly using silk fibroin modified with poly(lysine) and poly(glutamic) acid.

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  • Assessment of microcapsule stability across a wide pH range (1.5–12.0).
  • Evaluation of reversible swelling/deswelling and permeability changes in response to pH variations.
  • Testing of yeast cell encapsulation efficiency and viability.

    • Main Results:

    • Successfully assembled extremely robust and pH-responsive thin-shell LbL microcapsules from silk fibroin.
    • Microcapsules demonstrated exceptional stability in an unusually wide pH range (1.5–12.0).
    • Exhibited remarkable reversible swelling/deswelling and permeability variations with pH changes.
    • Achieved higher yeast cell viability rates compared to traditional synthetic polyelectrolyte microcapsules.

    Conclusions:

    • Silk fibroin-based microcapsules offer a robust and biocompatible alternative to synthetic polyelectrolytes.
    • The pH-responsive nature enables controlled loading and unloading of large molecules.
    • These silk ionomer microcapsules show significant potential for biomedical applications, including enhanced cell encapsulation.