Avian Egg: A Multifaceted Biomaterial for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Avian eggs offer a natural and environmentally friendly source of raw materials, and many of their components hold great potential in tissue engineering. An avian egg consists of several beneficial elements: the protective eggshell, the eggshell membrane, the egg white (albumen), and the egg yolk (vitellus). The eggshell is mostly composed of calcium carbonate and has intrinsic biological properties that stimulate bone repair. It is a suitable precursor for the synthesis of hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphate, which are particularly relevant to bone tissue engineering. The eggshell membrane is a thin protein-based layer with a fibrous structure composed of several valuable biopolymers, such as collagen and hyaluronic acid, also found in the human extracellular matrix. As a result, the eggshell membrane has found several applications in skin tissue repair and regeneration. The egg white is a protein-rich material that is under investigation for the design of functional protein-based hydrogel scaffolds. The egg yolk, composed mainly of lipids, also contains diverse essential nutrients (e.g., proteins, minerals, and vitamins) and has potential applications in wound healing and bone tissue engineering. This review summarizes the advantages and status of egg components in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as well as their current limitations and future perspectives.

Eggshell Membrane as a Biomaterial for Bone Regeneration

“…Recent literature reviews on the features and characteristics of ESM have underlined its importance for different technological and industrial applications [ 1 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. However, a compilation of its biological, physicochemical, and mechanical properties that highlight the ESM’s value as a candidate for bone regeneration material has not yet been performed.…”

Self-assembly and Hydrogelation Properties of Peptides Derived from Peptic Cleavage of Aggregation-prone Regions of Ovalbumin

“…This is due to its low cost and attractive functional properties, such as gelling, emulsifying, and foaming capacities [ 2 , 3 ]. Egg white is highly digestible and nutritious, and represents about 56% of proteins (ovalbumin, conalbumin, ovomucoid, globulins, ovomucin, lysozyme, and flavoprotein) in eggs [ 4 , 5 ]. Protein cross linking facilitated via disulfide bond formation is the main factor that drives the gelling of egg white.…”

Cysteine and Aspartic Proteases Underlie the Digestion of Egg Yolk Proteins during the Development of Columba livia domestica Embryo

“…The avian egg is composed of four major constituents: a protective egg shell, a thin egg shell membrane, an egg white, and an egg yolk (Kovacs-Nolan et al, 2005;Mahdavi et al, 2021). Egg white and egg yolk are the primary reservoirs of nutrients in the laid egg.…”

“…Egg white and egg yolk are the primary reservoirs of nutrients in the laid egg. Egg white consists of approximately 88.5% water, 10.5% proteins, 0.5% carbohydrates, and the remainder of vitamins and minerals (Stevens, 1996;Mahdavi et al, 2021). Egg yolk is roughly composed of 50% water, 30% lipids, 16% proteins, 4% carbohydrates, and traces of vitamins and minerals (Mahdavi et a., 2021).…”

“…Egg white consists of approximately 88.5% water, 10.5% proteins, 0.5% carbohydrates, and the remainder of vitamins and minerals (Stevens, 1996;Mahdavi et al, 2021). Egg yolk is roughly composed of 50% water, 30% lipids, 16% proteins, 4% carbohydrates, and traces of vitamins and minerals (Mahdavi et a., 2021). Egg white ultimately transfers into the yolk before being consumed by the developing embryo (Sugimoto et al, 1984).…”