The sol-gel transition behavior of Antherae pernyi silk fibroin (Ap-SF) has not been systematically investigated. In this work, the influence of environmental temperature, pH, the concentration of Ap-SF, K + and Ca 2+ on the gelation time, and the structural changes of Ap-SF in sol-gel transformation were studied. The results indicated that the gelation time of the Ap-SF aqueous solution decreased with the increase of the Ap-SF concentration and environmental temperature. The sol-gel transformation of Ap-SF was much more rapid than that of Bombyx mori silk fibroin under the same conditions. The Ap-SF was sensitive to changes in the concentration of Ca 2+ and K + . Upon gelation, the random coil structure of the Ap-SF was significantly transformed into the -sheet structure.
As the tissue engineering scaffolds, the pore structure and condensed structure of silk fibroin scaffolds should be adjusted and controlled. In this study, Antheraea pernyi/Bombyx mori (A. p/B. m) silk fibroin blend scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying. The influence of blend ratios on the pore structure and condensed structure of the scaffolds was investigated. The results showed that the average pore diameter of the blend scaffolds changed from 56 to 326 μm. Due to the difference of properties and the macromolecules aggregation status of two silk fibroin solutions, the pore diameter, content of α-helix and crystallinity of the scaffolds decreased with the increasing of the proportion of B. m silk fibroin. By adjusting the blend ratios, the pore structure and condensed structure of A. p/B. m silk fibroin blend scaffolds could be controlled.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.