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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Silk Film Culture System for in vitro Analysis and Biomaterial Design
Published on: April 24, 2012
Coatings and films made of silk proteins
Christian B Borkner1, Martina B Elsner, Thomas Scheibel
1Lehrstuhl Biomaterialien, Fakultät für Ingenieurwissenschaften, ‡Bayreuther Zentrum für Kolloide und Grenzflächen (BZKG), §Institut für Bio-Makromoleküle (bio-mac), ∥Bayreuther Zentrum für Molekulare Biowissenschaften (BZMB), and ⊥Bayreuther Materialzentrum (BayMAT), Universität Bayreuth , Universitätsstrasse 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Abstract:
Silks are a class of proteinaceous materials produced by arthropods for various purposes. Spider dragline silk is known for its outstanding mechanical properties, and it shows high biocompatibility, good biodegradability, and a lack of immunogenicity and allergenicity. The silk produced by the mulberry silkworm B. mori has been used as a textile fiber and in medical devices for a long time. Here, recent progress in the processing of different silk materials into highly tailored isotropic and anisotropic coatings for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, cell adhesion, and implant coatings as well as for optics and biosensors is reviewed.
