Physical-chemical double crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel for high-performance bone screws.

Hydrogels are widely used due to their exceptional biocompatibility and adaptability, but their weak mechanical properties limit their application in biomedical engineering. Herein, we rapidly attained a comprehensive enhancement of silk fibroin hydrogels in mechanical properties by employing a physical-chemical double crosslinking strategy. The SF was ultrasonicated and simultaneously photo-crosslinked to form a di-tyrosine network interspersed with β-sheet blocks, resulting in a SF hydrogel network structure with both rigid and flexible domains.

Development of a bioactive silk fibroin bilayer scaffold for wound healing and scar inhibition.

In cases of deep skin defects, spontaneous tissue regeneration and excessive collagen deposition lead to hyperplastic scars. Conventional remedial action after scar formation is limited with a high recurrence rate. In this study, we designed a new artificial skin bilayer using silk fibroin nanofibers films (SNF) as the epidermis, and silk fibroin (SF) / hyaluronic acid (HA) scaffold as the dermal layer.

Engineering vascularized dermal grafts by integrating a biomimetic scaffold and Wharton's jelly MSC-derived endothelial cells.

Tissue engineering aims to generate functional tissue constructs with the necessary scaffold properties for cell colonization and the establishment of a vascular network. However, treatment of tissue defects using synthetic scaffolds remains a challenge mainly due to insufficient and slow vascularization. Our previous study developed a macroporous silk fibroin scaffold with a nanofibrous microstructure, and demonstrated that the nanofibrous structure can promote the viability of endothelial cells (ECs) and guide cell migration.

Multichannel Bioactive Silk Nanofiber Conduits Direct and Enhance Axonal Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury.

After a spinal cord injury, axonal regeneration over long distances is challenging due to the lack of physical guidance cues and bioactive signals. In this study, a multichannel bioactive silk fibroin nanofiber conduit was fabricated to improve spinal cord injury repair by enhancing axonal regeneration. The conduit was composed of longitudinally oriented silk fibroin nanofibers and then functionalized with laminin.

Biofunctionalized silk fibroin nanofibers for directional and long neurite outgrowth.

Engineered scaffolds simultaneously exhibiting multiple cues are highly desirable for neural tissue regeneration. Silk fibroin is a promising natural protein material for nerve repair. However, the lack of specific bioactive cues significantly hinders its application.

Cationized Bombyx mori silk fibroin as a delivery carrier of the VEGF165-Ang-1 coexpression plasmid for dermal tissue regeneration.

The angiogenesis of an implanted construct is among the most important issues in tissue engineering. In this study, spermine was used to modify Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BSF) to synthesize cationized BSF (CBSF). BSF and CBSF were coated in sequence on the surface of polyethyleneimine (PEI)/vascular endothelial growth factor 165/angiopoietin-1 coexpression plasmid DNA (pDNA) complexes to form CBSF/BSF/PEI/pDNA quaternary complexes.

Silk fibroin scaffolds with a micro-/nano-fibrous architecture for dermal regeneration.

Silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds have been widely used in tissue engineering. However, a critical challenge for 3D SF scaffolds remains in providing a more appropriate microenvironment with a nanofibrous network to enhance cell viability and guide cell migration, thus further promoting tissue regeneration. In this study, a novel SF scaffold containing micro-/nano-fibers was prepared by a facile two-step freeze-drying technology.

Directional cell elongation through filopodia-steered lamellipodial extension on patterned silk fibroin films.

Micropatterned biomaterials have been used to direct cell alignment for specific tissue engineering applications. However, the understanding of how cells respond to guidance cues remains limited. Plasticity in protrusion formation has been proposed to enable cells to adapt their motility mode to microenvironment.