title: Silk fibroin as biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.
abstract: Silk fibroin (SF) is a fibrous protein which is produced mainly by silkworms and spiders. Its unique mechanical properties, tunable biodegradation rate and the ability to support the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells along the osteogenic lineage, have made SF a favorable scaffold material for bone tissue engineering. SF can be processed into various scaffold forms, combined synergistically with other biomaterials to form composites and chemically modified, which provides an impressive toolbox and allows SF scaffolds to be tailored to specific applications. This review discusses and summarizes recent advancements in processing SF, focusing on different fabrication and functionalization methods and their application to grow bone tissue in vitro and in vivo. Potential areas for future research, current challenges, uncertainties and gaps in knowledge are highlighted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Silk fibroin is a natural biomaterial with remarkable biomedical and mechanical properties which make it favorable for a broad range of bone tissue engineering applications. It can be processed into different scaffold forms, combined synergistically with other biomaterials to form composites and chemically modified which provides a unique toolbox and allows silk fibroin scaffolds to be tailored to specific applications. This review discusses and summarizes recent advancements in processing silk fibroin, focusing on different fabrication and functionalization methods and their application to grow bone tissue in vitro and in vivo. Potential areas for future research, current challenges, uncertainties and gaps in knowledge are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.melke@tue.nl.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Melke
authors.affiliation: Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India. Electronic address: swati.mid@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Swati
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Midha
authors.affiliation: Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India. Electronic address: sghosh08@textile.iitd.ac.in.
authors.forename: Sourabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Department of Orthopaedics, UMC Utrecht, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: K.Ito@tue.nl.
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands; ETH Zurich, Institute for Biomechanics, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, HCI E355.1, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: S.Hofmann.Boss@tue.nl.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hofmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D062028:Bioprinting; D012831:Bombyx; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000502:physiology*; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry; D010012:Osteogenesis; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D044968:Regenerative Medicine; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005349:Fibroins
keywords: Bone tissue engineering; Drug delivery; Regenerative medicine; Scaffold; Silk fibroin