Bioactive self-assembling silk fibroin-sericin films for skin tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Silk fibroin (SF) is widely used in biomaterials, but silk sericin (SS), another major silk protein, is underutilized despite favorable biological properties.
• Developing ideal wound dressing materials necessitates exploring novel biomaterials.
• There is a need for advanced biomaterials for effective skin regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop cytocompatible SF/SS blend films for skin regeneration.
• To investigate the formation of beta-sheet structures in SF/SS blends using formic acid.
• To evaluate the physical, cellular, and antibacterial properties of the developed SF/SS films.

Main Methods:

• Blending silk fibroin (SF) and silk sericin (SS) using formic acid to induce beta-sheet formation.
• Utilizing Raman spectroscopy to confirm blend composition and beta-sheet structure.
• Conducting in situ gelation kinetics, MTT, and live/dead assays for cellular evaluation.
• Testing antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Main Results:

• Formic acid facilitated the formation of stable, transparent SF/SS films with induced beta-sheet structures.
• SF/SS films demonstrated good mechanical properties, excellent cytocompatibility, and supported cellular attachment, viability, and proliferation.
• The developed films exhibited significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Conclusions:

• The developed SF/SS films are stable, transparent, and possess good mechanical properties, antibacterial activity, and cytocompatibility.
• The SF/SS blend films show potential as suitable biomaterial candidates for skin regeneration.
• This approach offers a novel method for creating functional silk-based biomaterials without chemical crosslinkers.