Silk fibroin membranes with self‐assembled globular structures for controlled drug release

Abstract

The cover image created by Mariana Agostini de Moraes and colleagues, represents the self-assembling of silk fibroin into globular structures within a continuous fibroin membrane matrix, encapsulating the drug model -diclofenac sodium. These structures were only observed when the drug was incorporated in the fibroin solution, prior to membrane preparation. The formation was spontaneous, and the globular structures presented regular size, shape and uniform distribution within the membrane. EDX mapping (red dots) of a fractured particle confirmed the high concentration of the drug within the globular structures. These results emphasize the potential use of silk fibroin for drug delivery applications.

Review on Fabrication and Application of Regenerated Bombyx mori Silk Fibroin Materials

“…Silk fibroin-based films and porous scaffolds such as aerogels have also been used as drug carriers because of their open-pore network and structure tenability. The porosity and surface area of the device may affect its drug release kinetics [109][110][111]. Silk fibroin coatings have also been combined with liposomes for long-term and targeted drug delivery (Figure 7c) [112,113].…”

Silk: history, obtaining, structure and properties of an old material in the development of new technologies

“…Because fibroin provides positive responses due to its biocompatibility, 2,12,13,48 among other properties, it has been widely explored for the development of diverse biomaterials in the medical field for decades; 12,13 moreover, it has promising use in the development of photonic devices. 14 Among the possible applications of this natural polymer, we can mention its use in drug delivery systems, 115,[130][131][132][133][134][135] as scaffold in tissue engineering for repair of tissues (such as cornea [136][137][138][139][140] and vascular 102,113,[141][142][143][144] and bone [145][146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154] tissues), and as dressing for healing skin lesions. [155][156][157][158] Other application areas include cancer diagnosis and treatment, 159 photodynamic therapy, 160 enzyme immobilization, [161][162][163][...…”

“…Besides that, they can be processed in mild conditions and molded into different shapes. [129][130][131][132][133][134][135] Through the most diverse forms, fibroin-based materials can be used to encapsulate/release a series of molecules and bioactive compounds. For example, Wang and colleagues prepared carrier microspheres in the presence of lipids and subsequently treated them with methanol and sodium chloride solution, to obtain materials with different surface characteristics, for different applications.…”

Hierarchically patterned protein scaffolds with nano-fibrillar and micro-lamellar structures modulate neural stem cell homing and promote neuronal differentiation

“…[18][19][20] Biomacromolecules such as collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) have become widely used biomaterials due to their good biocompatibility; however, they also suffer from low mechanical properties and rapid degradation rates. 8,21 Silk fibroin (SF), a natural protein with good biocompatibility, controlled degradability, and stability, [22][23][24] can be shaped into different forms, such as membranes, 22,23 gels, 25,26 fibers, [27][28][29] microspheres, 30,31 and porous scaffolds. 32,33 Besides, SF has been shown to promote cell growth 34 and has garnered significant attention in tissue engineering fields, including bone repair, 22,23,35 tissue regeneration, 36,37 drug release, 24,38,39 and biosensors.…”