Development of Novel 2D Composites of Silk Sericin and Rice Starch and Application as Bio‐Compatible Scaffold for Cell Culturing

Abstract

Sericin and starch are waste materials of the silk and rice milling industries, respectively. Owing to their suitable physicochemical, mechanical and functional properties, the two materials are thermo‐mechanically conjugated and cast as films. Sericin forms a microfibrillar network structure which binds with gelatinized starch. Addition of crosslinkers, namely glycerol and polyethylene glycol results in smoother textured films, higher crystallinity, and thermal resistance as studied using XRD, FTIR, DSC, and TGA. Native crystalline patterns of both starch and sericin are lost during composite formation. Newer crystalline lamellae formation with enhanced crystallinity than the native materials is evident from XRD and DSC. Comparative analysis indicated polyethylene glycol to be a better cross linker than glycerol for the composite formation. Biocompatibility studies using L929 mice fibroblast cell lines demonstrated that the films supported normal growth and proliferation of cells without any toxic effect. This is well supported by fluorescence imaging and MTT assays. Enzymatic biodegradability using protease enzymes implied negligible weight loss of the films, strengthening their prospect to be manifested in cell culturing applications.

Antifreezing Heat-Resistant Hollow Hydrogel Tubes

“…Further molecular displacement in low-molecular-weight poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG) reduced water content and improved the tolerance temperature to the range of −70 to 120 °C. Enhanced antifreezing heat-resistant performances of SA hollow hydrogel tubes as well as their increased flexibility are achieved by the treatments in glycerol and PEG. , All details of the preparation of SA hollow hydrogel tubes and their functionalization for enhanced antifreezing heat-resistant performances, as well as the potential applications as carriers, are demonstrated and discussed. We report this new method for the creation of nontoxic, antifreezing heat-resistant hollow hydrogel tubes that may find promising applications in various extreme temperature environments in biomedical fields.…”

Pasting, thermo, and Mixolab thermomechanical properties of potato starch–wheat gluten composite systems

“…Previous works have also explored the interaction between starch and protein from other different perspectives (Espinosa-Dzib, Ramírez-Gilly, & Tecante, 2012;Homer, Kelly, & Day, 2014;Ravindra, Genovese, Foegeding, & Rao, 2004). Dutta reported that silk sericin and rice starch can be thermo-mechanically conjugated and casted into continuous 2D films through evident molecular interaction between starch and sericin (Dutta, Dutta, & Devi, 2018). Both starch, protein, and their interaction are responsible for the macroscopic properties of food matrix (Jekle et al, 2016).…”