Silk Sericin: A Promising Sustainable Biomaterial for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Silk is a natural composite fiber composed mainly of hydrophobic fibroin and hydrophilic sericin, produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori. In the textile industry, the cocoons of B. mori are processed into silk fabric, where the sericin is substantially removed and usually discarded in wastewater. This wastewater pollutes the environment and water sources. However, sericin has been recognized as a potential biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, immunocompatibility, biodegradability, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant and photoprotective properties. Moreover, sericin can produce hydrogels, films, sponges, foams, dressings, particles, fibers, etc., for various biomedical and pharmaceutical applications (e.g., tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, cosmetics). Given the severe environmental pollution caused by the disposal of sericin and its beneficial properties, there has been growing interest in upcycling this biomaterial, which could have a strong and positive economic, social and environmental impact.

Related collections

Most cited references 133

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Foreign body reaction to biomaterials.

James M. Anderson, Analiz Rodriguez, David T. Chang (2008)

The foreign body reaction composed of macrophages and foreign body giant cells is the end-stage response of the inflammatory and wound healing responses following implantation of a medical device, prosthesis, or biomaterial. A brief, focused overview of events leading to the foreign body reaction is presented. The major focus of this review is on factors that modulate the interaction of macrophages and foreign body giant cells on synthetic surfaces where the chemical, physical, and morphological characteristics of the synthetic surface are considered to play a role in modulating cellular events. These events in the foreign body reaction include protein adsorption, monocyte/macrophage adhesion, macrophage fusion to form foreign body giant cells, consequences of the foreign body response on biomaterials, and cross-talk between macrophages/foreign body giant cells and inflammatory/wound healing cells. Biomaterial surface properties play an important role in modulating the foreign body reaction in the first two to four weeks following implantation of a medical device, even though the foreign body reaction at the tissue/material interface is present for the in vivo lifetime of the medical device. An understanding of the foreign body reaction is important as the foreign body reaction may impact the biocompatibility (safety) of the medical device, prosthesis, or implanted biomaterial and may significantly impact short- and long-term tissue responses with tissue-engineered constructs containing proteins, cells, and other biological components for use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our perspective has been on the inflammatory and wound healing response to implanted materials, devices, and tissue-engineered constructs. The incorporation of biological components of allogeneic or xenogeneic origin as well as stem cells into tissue-engineered or regenerative approaches opens up a myriad of other challenges. An in depth understanding of how the immune system interacts with these cells and how biomaterials or tissue-engineered constructs influence these interactions may prove pivotal to the safety, biocompatibility, and function of the device or system under consideration.

0 comments Cited 611 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

A comprehensive definition for metabolic syndrome.

Paul L Huang (2009)

The metabolic syndrome refers to the co-occurrence of several known cardiovascular risk factors, including insulin resistance, obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia and hypertension. These conditions are interrelated and share underlying mediators, mechanisms and pathways. There has been recent controversy about its definition and its utility. In this article, I review the current definitions for the metabolic syndrome and why the concept is important. It identifies a subgroup of patients with shared pathophysiology who are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. By considering the central features of the metabolic syndrome and how they are related, we may better understand the underlying pathophysiology and disease pathogenesis. A comprehensive definition for the metabolic syndrome and its key features would facilitate research into its causes and hopefully lead to new insights into pharmacologic and lifestyle treatment approaches.

0 comments Cited 419 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Inflammation and wound healing: the role of the macrophage.

Timothy J. Koh, Luisa DiPietro (2011)

The macrophage is a prominent inflammatory cell in wounds, but its role in healing remains incompletely understood. Macrophages have many functions in wounds, including host defence, the promotion and resolution of inflammation, the removal of apoptotic cells, and the support of cell proliferation and tissue restoration following injury. Recent studies suggest that macrophages exist in several different phenotypic states within the healing wound and that the influence of these cells on each stage of repair varies with the specific phenotype. Although the macrophage is beneficial to the repair of normally healing wounds, this pleotropic cell type may promote excessive inflammation or fibrosis under certain circumstances. Emerging evidence suggests that macrophage dysfunction is a component of the pathogenesis of nonhealing and poorly healing wounds. As a result of advances in the understanding of this multifunctional cell, the macrophage continues to be an attractive therapeutic target, both to reduce fibrosis and scarring, and to improve healing of chronic wounds.