Silk fibroin in ocular surface reconstruction: what is its potential as a biomaterial in ophthalmics?

Silk fibroin as biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.

UNLABELLED 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 s...

In Vitro Evaluation of Spider Silk Meshes as a Potential Biomaterial for Bladder Reconstruction

Reconstruction of the bladder by means of both natural and synthetic materials remains a challenge due to severe adverse effects such as mechanical failure. Here we investigate the application of spider major ampullate gland-derived dragline silk from the Nephila edulis spider, a natural biomaterial with outstanding mechanical properties and a slow degradation rate, as a potential scaffold for ...

Non-mulberry Silk Fibroin Biomaterial for Corneal Regeneration

PURPOSE Successful repair of a damaged corneal surface is a great challenge and may require the use of a scaffold that supports cell growth and differentiation. Amniotic membrane is currently used for this purpose, in spite of its limitations. A thin transparent silk fibroin film from non-mulberry Antheraea mylitta (Am) has been developed which offers to be a promising alternative. The silk sca...

Silk fibroin as a biomaterial substrate for corneal epithelial cell sheet generation.

PURPOSE To evaluate a silk fibroin (SF) biomaterial as a substrate for corneal epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation, and stratification in vitro compared with denuded human amniotic membrane (AM). METHODS Primary human and rabbit corneal epithelial cells and immortalized human corneal limbal epithelial cells were cultured on the SF and denuded AM, respectively. The biological cell b...

Electrospun Silk Fibroin Nanofibers with Improved Surface Texture