Imparting Multi‐Scalar Architectural Control into Silk Materials Using a Simple Multi‐Functional Ice‐Templating Fabrication Platform

Joukhdar, Habib; Och, Zachary; Tran, Hien A.; Heu, Céline; Vasquez, Gabriel Matus; Sultana, Nawreen; Stevens, Michael C.; Dokos, Socrates; Lim, Khoon S.; Lord, Megan S.; Rnjak‐Kovacina, Jelena

doi:10.1002/admt.202201642

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Achieving uniform freezing throughout the scaffold is critical to avoid pore size and distribution heterogeneity, necessitating careful process optimization. [ 75 ] The non‐uniformity in the pore structure could compromise the overall integrity of the scaffold, potentially hindering its effectiveness in supporting cellular growth and tissue regeneration. In addition, maintaining the mechanical strength of the SF scaffold poses a critical challenge.…”

Section: Fabrication Techniques For Sf‐derived Fibrous Scaffoldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of Silk Fibroin‐Derived Fibrous Scaffold for Biomedical Frontiers

Rahman,

Dip,

Nur

et al. 2024

Macro Materials & Eng

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Silk fibroin (SF), a natural protein derived from silkworms, has emerged as a promising biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, degradation rate, and tunable mechanical properties. This review delves into the intrinsic attributes of SF that make it an attractive candidate for scaffold development in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The distinctiveness of this comprehensive review resides in its detailed exploration of recent advancements in the fabrication techniques of SF‐based fibrous scaffolds, namely electrospinning, freeze‐drying, and 3D printing. An in‐depth analysis of these fabrication techniques is conducted to illustrate their versatility in customizing essential scaffold characteristics, such as porosity, fiber diameter, and mechanical strength. The article meticulously discusses process parameters, advantages, and challenges of each fabrication technique, highlighting the innovative advancements made in the respective field. Furthermore, the review goes beyond fabrication techniques to provide an overview of the latest biomedical applications and research endeavors utilizing SF‐derived scaffolds. From nerve regeneration and wound healing to drug delivery, bone regeneration, and vascular tissue engineering, the diverse applications underscore the versatility of SF in adopting various biomedical challenges. Finally, the article emphasizes the need for standardized characterization techniques, scalable manufacturing processes, and long‐term in vivo studies.

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Section: Fabrication Techniques For Sf‐derived Fibrous Scaffoldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of Silk Fibroin‐Derived Fibrous Scaffold for Biomedical Frontiers

Rahman,

Dip,

Nur

et al. 2024

Macro Materials & Eng

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Impact of crystalline domains on long‐term stability and mechanical performance of anisotropic silk fibroin sponges

Aikman,

Rao,

Jia

et al. 2024

J Biomedical Materials Res

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Sponge‐like materials made from regenerated silk fibroin biopolymers are a tunable and advantageous platform for in vitro engineered tissue culture and in vivo tissue regeneration. Anisotropic, three‐dimensional (3D) silk fibroin sponge‐like scaffolds can mimic the architecture of contractile muscle. Herein, we use silk fibroin solution isolated from the cocoons of Bombyx mori silkworms to form aligned sponges via directional ice templating in a custom mold with a slurry of dry ice and ethanol. Hydrated tensile mechanical properties of these aligned sponges were evaluated as a function of silk polymer concentration (3% or 5%), freezing time (50% or 100% ethanol), and post‐lyophilization method for inducing crystallinity (autoclaving, water annealing). Hydrated static tensile tests were used to determine Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength across sponge formulations at two strain rates to evaluate rate dependence in the calculated parameters. Results aligned with previous reports in the literature for isotropic silk fibroin sponge‐like scaffolds, where the method by which beta‐sheets were formed and level of beta‐sheet content (crystallinity) had the greatest impact on static parameters, while polymer concentration and freezing rate did not significantly impact static mechanical properties. We estimated the crystalline organization using molecular dynamics simulations to show that larger crystalline regions may be responsible for strength at low strain amplitudes and brittleness at high strain amplitudes in the autoclaved sponges. Within the parameters evaluated, extensional Young's modulus is tunable in the range of 600–2800 kPa. Dynamic tensile testing revealed the linear viscoelastic region to be between 0% and 10% strain amplitude and 0.2–2 Hz frequencies. Long‐term stability was evaluated by hysteresis and fatigue tests. Fatigue tests showed minimal change in the storage and loss modulus of 5% silk fibroin sponges for more than 6000 min of continuous mechanical stimulation in the linear regime at 10% strain amplitude and 1 Hz frequency. Furthermore, we confirmed that these mechanical properties hold when decellularized extracellular matrix is added to the sponges and when the mechanical property assessments were performed in cell culture media. We also used nano‐computed tomography (nano‐CT) and simulations to explore pore interconnectivity and tortuosity. Overall, these results highlight the potential of anisotropic, sponge‐like silk fibroin scaffolds for long‐term (>6 weeks) contractile muscle culture with an in vitro bioreactor system that provides routine mechanical stimulation.

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