title: Processing and characterization of silk sericin from Bombyx mori and its application in biomaterials and biomedicines.
abstract: Bombyx mori silk is composed of 60-80% fibroin, 15-35% sericin and 1-5% non-sericin component including wax, pigments, sugars and other impurities. For two decades, the protein-based silk fibroin was extensively used in the research and development of medical biomaterials and biomedicines. Sericin is frequently ignored and abandoned as a byproduct or waste in the processing of traditional silk fabrics, silk floss or modern silk biomaterials. However, similar to fibroin, sericin is not only a highly useful biological material, but also a lot of biological activity. Moreover, the non-sericin component present with sericin in the cocoon shell also has a strong biological activity. In this review, the extraction and recovery methods of sericin and the non-sericin component from the cocoon layer are reported, and their composition, properties and biological activity are described to produce a comprehensive report on biomedical materials and biological drugs. In addition, related problems or concerns present in the research and development of sericin are discussed, and a potential application of sericin in sustainable development is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Silk Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, RM702-2303, No. 199, Renai Road, Dushuhu Higher Edu. Town, Suzhou 215123, PR China.
authors.forename: Ting-Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Silk Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, RM702-2303, No. 199, Renai Road, Dushuhu Higher Edu. Town, Suzhou 215123, PR China. Electronic address: sericult@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yu-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012831:Bombyx / Q000378:metabolism; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D047030:Sericins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003358:Cosmetics; D004337:Drug Carriers; D019476:Insect Proteins; D047030:Sericins
keywords: Bioactivity; Biomaterials; Biomedicines; Non-sericin component; Sericin