Tuning silk scaffold processing to increase mechanical strength and drug release rates simultaneously
(2022) KBKM01 20211Pure and Applied Biochemistry
- Abstract
- Bombyx mori silk fibroin has been widely used in various biomedical products, in which the silk fibroin is regenerated into liquid and freeze-dried to result in a porous scaffold. The tunability of the silk fibroin scaffold's mechanical strength and permeability is essential for different functions and applications. We explore different controlling factors in the fabrication process to understand the tuning probability.
The silk fibres were washed off sericin first since sericin may cause inflammation. Then silk fibroin was dissolved in liquid, which is called regeneration. The regenerated fibroin was gelled in containers at room temperature. The gel was frozen and freeze-dried to achieve a white scaffold's end product. Before examining... (More) - Bombyx mori silk fibroin has been widely used in various biomedical products, in which the silk fibroin is regenerated into liquid and freeze-dried to result in a porous scaffold. The tunability of the silk fibroin scaffold's mechanical strength and permeability is essential for different functions and applications. We explore different controlling factors in the fabrication process to understand the tuning probability.
The silk fibres were washed off sericin first since sericin may cause inflammation. Then silk fibroin was dissolved in liquid, which is called regeneration. The regenerated fibroin was gelled in containers at room temperature. The gel was frozen and freeze-dried to achieve a white scaffold's end product. Before examining scaffolds, they were submerged in water and degassed. In our experiment, we mainly control three different factors in the scaffold fabrication process: (i) gelling hour in the gelation process; (ii) freezing temperature in the freezing process; (iii) autoclaving or not after degassing.
The examination of the silk fibroin scaffold included five different experiments: (i) turbidity and Tht test to observe the development of gelation; (ii) morphology test to observe the appearance of silk fibroin scaffolds; (iii) indentation and sinusoid test to observe various mechanical properties; (iv) FTIR test to understand the microscopic property; (v) loading and releasing test to understand the molecular carrying ability of the silk fibroin scaffolds.
The examination showed that the silk fibroin scaffolds had different performances, mainly affected by gelation hour. The scaffolds gelling for 8 hours had the strongest mechanical strength but lowest permeability and lower molecular releasing ability. The scaffolds gelling for more than 14 hours had weaker mechanical strength but a much better performance in permeability and molecular releasing. Also, the scaffolds with autoclaving were stronger in mechanical strength and weaker in molecular releasing. The FTIR also showed that the autoclaved scaffolds had a higher amount of β-sheets structure in the RSF. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- We use silk to make white porous sponges, which can be used as a skin patch, a bone implant, or a filler that would release drugs and be absorbed in the body afterwards. The secret to all these different functions is the tunability of the silk sponge! The silk fibroin sponge we experiment on can have different mechanical strength and drug-carrying ability when the condition of the process is changed. With different properties, the silk fibroin sponge can find use in various medical applications.
Silk is a relatively cheap and common starting material, but it comes in a shape that is hard to use. We first need to remove sericin, which causes inflammation and then we disolve the cleaned fibres to obtain silk protein (fibroin protein) in... (More) - We use silk to make white porous sponges, which can be used as a skin patch, a bone implant, or a filler that would release drugs and be absorbed in the body afterwards. The secret to all these different functions is the tunability of the silk sponge! The silk fibroin sponge we experiment on can have different mechanical strength and drug-carrying ability when the condition of the process is changed. With different properties, the silk fibroin sponge can find use in various medical applications.
Silk is a relatively cheap and common starting material, but it comes in a shape that is hard to use. We first need to remove sericin, which causes inflammation and then we disolve the cleaned fibres to obtain silk protein (fibroin protein) in the solution. The liquid would go through gelling, freezing, and freeze-drying to become the white sponge. We control the gelling time, freezing temperature, and the autoclaving state in sponge making process. Our research observes the gelling process, the morphology, the mechanical properties, and the drug-releasing ability of the silk sponge. The results showed that gelling for 8 hours and autoclave the sponge is the best choice if you want a really strong material. However, if you need silk sponges to have good drug loading and release, gelling for more than 14 hours is better. If you want to autoclave the silk sponge, be aware that the sponge would be stronger but release a lower amount of drugs.
Our research can provide a new perspective on silk fibroin sponges. In most of the research, the researchers gelled the silk fully before the next step. The tunability comes from modifying the gelling time to broaden the use of silk fibroin sponges in different fields. The silk is complex, safe, and comparably cheap as a biomaterial, with a relatively easy-to-implement fibroin sponge preparation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9091131
- author
- Lin, Chia-Yin LU
- supervisor
-
- Cedric Dicko LU
- organization
- course
- KBKM01 20211
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Silk, Silk Fibroin, Biomaterial, Hydrogel, Applied Biochemistry
- language
- English
- id
- 9091131
- date added to LUP
- 2022-06-22 09:44:18
- date last changed
- 2022-06-22 09:44:18
@misc{9091131,
abstract = {{Bombyx mori silk fibroin has been widely used in various biomedical products, in which the silk fibroin is regenerated into liquid and freeze-dried to result in a porous scaffold. The tunability of the silk fibroin scaffold's mechanical strength and permeability is essential for different functions and applications. We explore different controlling factors in the fabrication process to understand the tuning probability.
The silk fibres were washed off sericin first since sericin may cause inflammation. Then silk fibroin was dissolved in liquid, which is called regeneration. The regenerated fibroin was gelled in containers at room temperature. The gel was frozen and freeze-dried to achieve a white scaffold's end product. Before examining scaffolds, they were submerged in water and degassed. In our experiment, we mainly control three different factors in the scaffold fabrication process: (i) gelling hour in the gelation process; (ii) freezing temperature in the freezing process; (iii) autoclaving or not after degassing.
The examination of the silk fibroin scaffold included five different experiments: (i) turbidity and Tht test to observe the development of gelation; (ii) morphology test to observe the appearance of silk fibroin scaffolds; (iii) indentation and sinusoid test to observe various mechanical properties; (iv) FTIR test to understand the microscopic property; (v) loading and releasing test to understand the molecular carrying ability of the silk fibroin scaffolds.
The examination showed that the silk fibroin scaffolds had different performances, mainly affected by gelation hour. The scaffolds gelling for 8 hours had the strongest mechanical strength but lowest permeability and lower molecular releasing ability. The scaffolds gelling for more than 14 hours had weaker mechanical strength but a much better performance in permeability and molecular releasing. Also, the scaffolds with autoclaving were stronger in mechanical strength and weaker in molecular releasing. The FTIR also showed that the autoclaved scaffolds had a higher amount of β-sheets structure in the RSF.}},
author = {{Lin, Chia-Yin}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Tuning silk scaffold processing to increase mechanical strength and drug release rates simultaneously}},
year = {{2022}},
}