title: A pilot study of macrophage responses to silk fibroin particles.
abstract: Silk fibroin (SF) shows promise for tissue engineering and other biomedical applications due to its excellent biocompatibility, unique biomechanical properties, and controllable biodegradability. The particulate form of SF materials may have many potential uses, including the use as a filler for tissue defects or as a controlled-release agent for drug delivery. However, many past in vivo and in vitro studies evaluating the biocompatibility and biodegradability of SF have involved bulk implants. It is essential to evaluate the inflammatory effects of SF particles before further use. In this study, two different sizes of SF particles were evaluated to assess their impact on the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, in comparison with lipopolysaccharide positive control stimulation. The inflammatory processes were characterized using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and light microscopy evaluations. The results indicated that small silk fibroin particles and large silk fibroin particles, in culture with RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells for 24 h, caused up-regulation of mRNA coding for TNF-α, which indicated that both size of particles have potential inflammatory effects. There was a statistically significant increase in this up-regulation under small silk fibroin stimulation. However, the immunosorbent assay suggested that there was virtually no observed release of IL-1β, IL-6, or TNF-α, relative to the control group. The results suggest that SF particles of the chosen dimensions may have good biocompatibility in culture with RAW 264.7 murine macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Xidong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jianchuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhengzhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Jack J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D010316:Particle Size; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005349:Fibroins