title: Biodegradation behavior of silk fibroin membranes in repairing tympanic membrane perforations.
abstract: Silk fibroin (SF) from silkworms has been widely studied as a biomaterial. The degradation behavior of silk biomaterials is important for medical applications, but few studies have examined long-term degradation behavior in vivo. In this study, we investigated the degradation behavior of SF membranes in vitro and in vivo. For the in vitro assay, we observed degradation of silk membranes in phosphate buffered saline, culture media, and an enzyme (proteinase K) solution. In the proteinase K solution, 80% of the silk membranes degraded within 10 days. Silk membranes exhibited no cytotoxicity toward L929 cells and rat tissues. To investigate the degradation of silk membranes in vivo, they were implanted subcutaneously in rats and harvested 19 months after surgery. Scanning electron microscopy imaging and histological analysis of silk membrane explants showed that they broke into several pieces after 16 months. Results show that silk membranes are biocompatible and display excellent long-term degradation behavior when used as biomaterials.
authors.affiliation: Nano-Bio Regenerative Medical Institute, Hallym University, 1, Okcheon-dong, Chuncheon 200-702, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ok Joo
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jung Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji Heui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: HaeYong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kweon
authors.forename: You Young
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Chan Hum
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental / Q000187:drug effects; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005349:Fibroins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D051379:Mice; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012996:Solutions; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D040521:Subcutaneous Tissue / Q000187:drug effects; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000473:pathology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012996:Solutions; D005349:Fibroins