Bioactive hierarchical silk fibers created by bioinspired self-assembly

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Engineering
• Textile Science

Background:

• Replicating natural protein fiber hierarchies is key for advanced materials.
• Natural silk spinning processes are complex and challenging to emulate.
• Spider silk liquid crystalline spinning offers inspiration for biomimetic fiber development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop natural silk-like hierarchical fibers through self-assembly.
• To investigate the biomaterial properties and cell interactions of these engineered fibers.
• To provide insights into natural silk spinning and advance biomaterial design.

Main Methods:

• Self-assembly of crystallized silk fibroin (SF) droplets into hierarchical fibers.
• Characterization of fiber structure, including nanofibril alignment.
• Assessment of fiber bioactivity and enhancement of human umbilical vein endothelial cell growth.

Main Results:

• Successfully created silk-like hierarchical fibers with aligned nanofibrils.
• Observed a self-assembly process involving coalesced droplets forming a branched network.
• Demonstrated significantly enhanced spreading and growth of endothelial cells on the new fibers compared to natural SF fibers.

Conclusions:

• The developed SF fibers mimic natural hierarchical structures and spider silk spinning.
• These biomimetic fibers exhibit enhanced bioactivity, promoting endothelial cell proliferation.
• This approach offers a novel strategy for designing advanced fibrous biomaterials for diverse applications.