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Manufacture and Drug Delivery Applications of Silk Nanoparticles
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Microencapsulation of High-Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials.

Muchun Liu1, Pierre-Eric Millard2, Henning Urch3

  • 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|July 8, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed biodegradable silk fibroin microcapsules for controlled release applications. These silk microcapsules offer tunable properties and reduce herbicide burst release, showing promise for agriculture and cosmetics.

Keywords:
agrochemicalscontrolled releasemicrocapsulesmicroplasticssilkvitamin c

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Biotechnology
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • There is a growing demand for biodegradable alternatives to non-degradable microplastics across various industries.
  • Challenges in controlled release and scalable manufacturing of new materials hinder the adoption of circular polymers for microplastic fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate active microencapsulation using silk fibroin, a structural protein.
  • To enable the tunable manufacturing of microcapsules with controlled morphology and degradation kinetics.

Main Methods:

  • Silk fibroin micelles' size was tuned by modulating protein protonation and chain relaxation.
  • Spray drying and spray freeze drying techniques were retrofitted for microcapsule manufacturing.
  • Beta-sheet content of silk fibroin was modulated to control degradation and payload release.

Main Results:

  • Microcapsules with tunable morphology (hollow-spongy, hollow-smooth, hollow crumpled) were produced.
  • Degradation kinetics and sustained release of soluble/insoluble payloads were controlled.
  • Burst release of the herbicide saflufenacil decreased from 25% to 0.8% using silk fibroin microencapsulation.
  • Greenhouse trials showed reduced crop injury with silk microcapsule-delivered saflufenacil.

Conclusions:

  • Silk fibroin microencapsulation offers a viable route for creating biodegradable microcapsules with tunable properties.
  • This approach addresses challenges in controlled release and scalable manufacturing for sustainable materials.
  • The technology shows significant potential for applications in agrochemicals and cosmetics.