Structural Mimetic Silk Fiber-Reinforced Composite Scaffolds Using Multi-Angle Fibers

The fabrication of structural mimetic scaffolds reinforced with multi-angle silk fibers is described. Degummed silk fibers with a parallel arrangement of the fibers in a planar format were overlapped with successive layers organized at 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°, respectively. The overlapped silk fiber layers were coated with silk solution (6 wt%) containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The morphology, mechanical properties, structure and biocompatibility of the scaffolds were investigated. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds (tensile and burst) were characterized based on the angles of the fibers. Layers with an overlapping angle at 30° exhibited better mechanical performance (18 MPa) than the other groups. The results of Fourier Transform (FT) IR Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Differentiation (XRD) analyses indicated that the presence of degummed silk fibers with different angles did not significantly impact secondary structure or crystallization of the fiber reinforced scaffolds. The attachment and growth of a human fibroblast cell line (HS-865-SK) on the reinforced scaffolds supported good cell compatibility. These new scaffolds have potential applications in tissue repairs where superior mechanical strength and cell compatibility are important.