Fabrication and characterization of Eri silk fibers-based sponges for biomedical application.

Unlabelled: Cocoon-derived semi-domesticated Eri silk fibers still lack exploitation for tissue engineering applications due to their poor solubility using conventional methods. The present work explores the ability to process cocoon fibers of non-mulberry Eri silk (Samia/Philosamia ricini) into sponges through a green approach using ionic liquid (IL)--1-buthyl-imidazolium acetate as a solvent. The formation of β-sheet structures during Eri silk/IL gelation was acquired by exposing the Eri silk/IL gels to a saturated atmosphere composed of two different solvents: (i) isopropanol/ethanol (physical stabilization) and (ii) genipin, a natural crosslinker, dissolved in ethanol (chemical crosslinking).