Silk Embolic Material for Catheter‐Directed Endovascular Drug Delivery

Abstract

Embolization is a catheter‐based minimally invasive procedure that deliberately occludes diseased blood vessels for treatment purposes. A novel silk‐based embolic material (SEM) that is developed and optimized to provide tandem integration of both embolization and the delivery of therapeutics is reported. Natural silk is processed into fibroin proteins of varying lengths and is combined with charged nanoclay particles to allow visibility and injectability using clinical catheters as small as 600 μm in diameter at lengths >100 cm. SEMs loaded with fluorochrome labeled bovine albumin and Nivolumab, which is among the most used immunotherapy drugs worldwide, demonstrate a sustained release profile in vitro over 28 days. In a porcine renal survival model, SEMs with labeled albumin and Nivolumab successfully embolize porcine arteries without recanalization and lead to the delivery of both albumin and Nivolumab into the interstitial space of the renal cortex. Mechanistically, it is shown that tissue delivery is most optimal when the internal elastic membrane of the embolized artery is disrupted. SEM is a potential next‐generation multifunctional embolic agent that can achieve embolization and deliver a wide range of therapeutics to treat vascular diseases including tumors.

Advances in Natural Polymeric Nanoparticles for the Drug Delivery

“…The β-sheet structure helped to form the hydrogel network and payload efficiency was enhanced using the carbon nano tubes [37]. Air spun nanofibers for drug delivery [38], temperature-responsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel and SF scaffold microcarriers for controlled and sustained drug release [39], silk based embolic material a potential next-generation multifunctional embolic agent including nivolumab labeled with albumin was delivered to treat vascular disorders, including malignancies, as well as achieve embolization [40]. Its utilization has been explored nevertheless in all possible directions for drug delivery.…”

Stabilization of Salivary Biomarkers

“…On another front, regenerated silk fibroin (RSF), a naturally derived material, , can be potentially used as a stabilizing agent of salivary samples (Figure ). Unlike many protein-based biomaterials, RSF is inherently stable to moisture and changes in temperature thanks to its heterogeneous structure, which comprises hydrophobic domains and hydrophilic residues that generate protective microenvironments around labile molecules, including enzymes, antibodies, drugs, vaccines, cellular growth factors, genomic content (mechanisms of action of RSF summarized in Figure a). − …”

Multifunctional microrobot with real-time visualization and magnetic resonance imaging for chemoembolization therapy of liver cancer

“…Furthermore, although not yet clinically approved, several efforts are being actively conducted to enable both real-time and postoperative imaging of biodegradable embolic agents. For example, several studies have shown that embolic agents loaded with radioopaque or magnetic-responsive materials are capable of real-time x-ray imaging, MRI, and CT imaging, as well as vessel embolization and biodegradation (32)(33)(34)(35).…”