Spider
web proteins are unique materials created by nature that,
considering the combination of their properties, do not have analogues
among natural or human-created materials. Obtaining significant amounts
of these proteins from natural sources is not feasible. Biotechnological
manufacturing in heterological systems is complicated by the very
high molecular weight of spidroins and their specific amino acid composition.
Obtaining recombinant analogues of spidroins in heterological systems,
mainly in bacteria and yeast, has become a compromise solution. Because
they can self-assemble, these proteins can form various materials,
such as fibers, films, 3D-foams, hydrogels, tubes, and microcapsules.
The effectiveness of spidroin hydrogels in deep wound healing, as
3D scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration and as oriented fibers for
axon growth and nerve tissue regeneration, was demonstrated in animal
models. The possibility to use spidroin micro- and nanoparticles for
drug delivery was demonstrated, including the use of modified spidroins
for virus-free DNA delivery into animal cell nuclei. In the past few
years, significant interest has arisen concerning the use of these
materials as biocompatible and biodegradable soft optics to construct
photonic crystal super lenses and fiber optics and as soft electronics
to use in triboelectric nanogenerators. This review summarizes the
latest achievements in the field of spidroin production, the creation
of materials based on them, the study of these materials as a scaffold
for the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of various types
of cells, and the prospects for using these materials for medical
applications (e.g., tissue engineering, drug delivery, coating medical
devices), soft optics, and electronics. Accumulated data suggest the
use of recombinant spidroins in medical practice in the near future.