Biocompatibility of silk-tropoelastin protein polymers

Blended polymers are used extensively in many critical medical conditions as components of permanently implanted devices. Hybrid protein polymers containing recombinant human tropoelastin and silk fibroin have favorable characteristics as implantable scaffolds in terms of mechanical and biological properties. A firefly luciferase transgenic mouse model was used to monitor real-time IL-1β production localized to the site of biomaterial implantation, to observe the acute immune response (up to 5 days) to these materials. Significantly reduced levels of IL-1β were observed in silk/tropoelastin implants compared to control silk only implants at 1, 2 and 3 days post-surgery. Subsequently, mice (n = 9) were euthanized at 10 days (10D) and 3 weeks (3W) post-surgery to assess inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition, using histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Compared to control silk only implants, fewer total inflammatory cells were found in silk/tropoelastin (∼29% at 10D and ∼47% at 3W). Also fewer ingrowth cells (∼42% at 10D and ∼63% at 3W) were observed within the silk/tropoelastin implants compared to silk only. Lower IL-6 (∼52%) and MMP-2 (∼84%) (pro-inflammatory) were also detected for silk/tropoelastin at 10 days. After 3 weeks implantation, reduced neovascularization (vWF ∼43%), fewer proliferating cells (Ki67 ∼58% and PCNA ∼41%), macrophages (F4/80 ∼64%), lower IL-10 (∼47%) and MMP-9 (∼55%) were also observed in silk/tropoelastin materials compared to silk only. Together, these results suggest that incorporation of tropoelastin improves on the established biocompatibility of silk fibroin, uniquely measured here as a reduced foreign body inflammatory response.