Silk fibroin films stabilizes and releases bioactive insulin for the treatment of corneal wounds

Large‐area thin films of silk fibroin prepared by two methods with formic acid as solvent and glycerol as plasticizer

“…The films reported in the literature 18,34–37 have a small area, since they are produced in Petri dishes, whereas those produced in this study showed a much larger area (1032.5 cm 2 ), and can be used for the treatment of patients with extensive burns on the body. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time large SF films have been produced.…”

Immune Response to Silk Sericin–Fibroin Composites: Potential Immunogenic Elements and Alternatives for Immunomodulation

“…SP has been shown to regulate the inflammatory response by reducing the expression of the encoding proinflammatory mediators Il-18, Il-1𝛽, iNOS, and COX-2, which are induced by lipopolysaccharides binding on toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). [75,85] The SP thus regulates inflammation associated with lipopolysaccharides by downregulating the expression of TLR4, which activates the transcription factor of nuclear factor-k𝛽 and induces the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in immune cells. SP also modulates inflammation induced by the production of oxidative stresses, including reactive oxidative species and nitric oxide.…”

“…[105,107] The potential of several polymers as wound dressings has been evaluated, [18,108] but the development of biomaterials for wound healing is increasingly concerned with SP-based materials because of their beneficial properties, availability, and low cost (Figure 5a). [21,109,110] The good mechanical properties of SF provide wound dressings that are easy to handle and help to avoid reinjury, often observed in the removal of fragile dressings, [85,91,111] while SS exhibits excellent bioactivity improving wound healing. The antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and mitogenic properties exhibited by SS are indeed ideal for wound dressing applications.…”

“…[40] Since the degradation of SF is slow, it is able to control drug release over an extended time period. [85,167] Due to the complementary properties of SS and SF, they have been used as scaffolds in several tissue engineering applications to deliver bioactive molecules or cells. It was thus reported that chitosan-silk sericin composite scaffolds released sufficient nerve growth factor for the treatment of chronic nerve compression, [132] while SF films were shown to stabilize and release bioactive insulin for corneal wound treatment.…”

“…It was thus reported that chitosan-silk sericin composite scaffolds released sufficient nerve growth factor for the treatment of chronic nerve compression, [132] while SF films were shown to stabilize and release bioactive insulin for corneal wound treatment. [85] Furthermore, since SS hydrogels crosslinked with genipin were shown to support the attachment and proliferation of neurons, they were considered potential neuronal cell carriers for the repair of ischemic stroke. [100] Silk fibroin-chitosan composites also supported the differentiation and proliferation of marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and the implantation of that scaffold with incorporated cells was shown to promote the rapid repair of defective cartilage in rabbit knees.…”