title: Silk sericin: A versatile material for tissue engineering and drug delivery.
abstract: Sericin is an inexpensive glycoprotein obtained as a by-product in the silk industry. Its variable amino acid composition and diverse functional groups confer upon it attractive bioactive properties, which are particularly interesting for biomedical applications. Because of its antioxidant character, moisturizing ability, and mitogenic effect on mammalian cells, sericin is useful in cell culture and tissue engineering. Its positive effects on keratinocytes and fibroblasts have led to the development of sericin-based biomaterials for skin tissue repair, mainly as wound dressings. Additionally, sericin can be used for bone tissue engineering owing to its ability to induce nucleation of bone-like hydroxyapatite. Stable silk sericin biomaterials, such as films, sponges, and hydrogels, are prepared by cross-linking, ethanol precipitation, or blending with other polymers. Sericin may also be employed for drug delivery because its chemical reactivity and pH-responsiveness facilitate the fabrication of nano- and microparticles, hydrogels, and conjugated molecules, improving the bioactivity of drugs. Here, we summarized the recent advancements in the study of silk sericin for application in tissue engineering and drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, PR China.
authors.forename: Lallepak
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lamboni
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, PR China. Electronic address: yang_sunny@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA. Electronic address: qunwang@iastate.edu.
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001458:Bandages; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry; D047030:Sericins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D047030:Sericins; D047011:Silk
keywords: Bioactivity; Biomaterials; Drug delivery; Silk sericin; Tissue engineering; Tissue regeneration