title: Physico-chemical characterization and biological evaluation of two fibroin materials.
abstract: Silk fibroin fibres from two different sources, Bombyx mori pure-breed silkworms and polyhybrid cross-bred silkworm cocoons, were treated with formic acid under planar stirring conditions to prepare non-woven nets. The treatment partially dissolved the fibres, which bound together and formed a non-woven micrometric net with fibres coated by a thin layer of low molecular weight fibroin matrix. The starting fibres, net materials and fibroin coating layer were characterized in terms of amino acid composition, molecular weight and calorimetric properties. In vitro cell culture tests with rat fibroblasts were performed to investigate cell proliferation, morphology and spreading. Moreover, host-rat fibroblasts were preseeded on the afore-mentioned nets and implanted in the thorax of rats for histological analysis. In spite of the chemical differences between the two starting fibroins, the response of the said materials in vitro and in vivo were very similar. These results suggest that the outcome is likely correlated with the modification of the processing technique; that during the formation of the net, a thin gel layer of similar amino acid composition was formed on the fibroin fibres.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Engineering and Industrial Technologies and Biotech Research Centre, University of Trento, Italy; European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Segnana
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verin
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: La Monica
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fumarola
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gussago
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cantoni
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ampollini
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Migliaresi
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000737:chemistry; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010316:Particle Size; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D005349:Fibroins