• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 1997

As a condition for obtaining the silk I type crystal that has stability and high reproducibility, after dissolving silk fibroin crystalline part (Fcp), the changes of recrystallized crystal structure according to dialytic pH were examined by x-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The Fcp was obtained from the aqueous solution of silk fibroin enzymatic proteolyzed by chymotrypsin. The crystal structure of Fcp showed silk II type. When the Fcp was dissolved by 10M LiBr aqueous solution, the Fcp1 showed the silk II type at pH 9. However, besides the silk II type, the silk I type structure begins to appear at pH 8 and only the silk I type structure was found below pH 6. On the other hand, the Fcp2 that calcium chloride was used in the dissolution found only the silk I type crystal structure below pH8.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 1997

To hydrolyze silk fibroin was treated with NaOH solution on various concentrations and times. And it was examined that the addition effects of NaHSO3 solution on the solubility and colouring of silk fibroin. As obtained results are as follows; The more increasement of concentration and time of NaOH treatment, the more increasement of solubility but solubility was slight above 3% concentration of NaOH. Fibroin yield was decreased above 3% concentration. This was due to formation of peptide or amino acids below molecular weight 3,000. Most of molecular weight distribution came out to be under 3,000 in 2% concentration and 4hrs of NaOH treatment. The more increasement of adding concentration and 4hrs of NaOH treatment. The more increasement of adding concentration of NaHSO3, the more reduction of solubility but white index of powder increased. In the results of FT-IR spectras of silk fibroin powder obtained by various concentrations of NaHSO3 treatment, the absorbent peak at 3,400 cm-1 which was considered as -CH=N- (azomethine) was disappeared by the more addition of NaHSO3. It showed that absorbent peak of $\beta$-fibroin moved into low temperature region and transferred to $\alpha$- and random coil structure through the DSC experiment. In the results of amino acid analysis, alkali hydrolysis reduced the oxy amino contents acid like serine and tyrosine, but increased the glycine content by the more addition of NaHSO3.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2001

Enzymatic hydrolysis of different forms of silk fibroin (soluble, gel and insoluble forms) by industrial and commercial enzyme preparations to obtain aqueous and powdered silk fibroin in relatively mild conditions was investigated. A mono-enzymatic hydrolysate systems were tested for hydrolysis of water-soluble form of fibroin as most productive form of protein substrate. Insoluble forms of substrate usually were hydrolyzed less effective. In some cases from soluble fibroin substrate gel was formed during hydrolysis process. This hindered intermixing and decreased rates of hydrolysis. Insoluble sediments were formed in enzymatic hydrolysates in other cases. These sediments and also sediment after chemical hydrolysis were purified and tested on amino acids content for comparison. Sediments formation in these conditions are considered as pure tyrosine isolation method. Obtained hydrolysates were characterized by gel-chromatography analysis and other standard biochemical methods. Possibility of application of enzymatic hydrolysis for preparation of silk fibroin hydrolysates is discussed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.166-170
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• 2011

Silk fibroin, a natural protein produced by silkworm, is a good biomaterial which has biodegradability and biocompatibility. To ascertain the effects of silk fibroin on cell growth, silk fibroin films were prepared using silk fibroin aqueous solutions of various concentrations. We investigated the attachment, proliferation, morphology of the cells and the expression levels of genes related to cell attachment and growth on the silk fibroin films. When the cells were cultured on the 0.1 and 1% silk fibroin film, the cell adhesion ability was very excellent. Particularly, overall cell growth on the 1% silk fibroin film was definitely superior to the others. Also, expression levels of genes related cell growth were increased on the 0.1 and 1% silk fibroin film. These results suggest silk as a material for medical applications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 1987

Silk fibroin is likely to be hydrolyzed by acids or alkalies at high temperature, and the degree of the hydrolysis has been inferred from the changes in tensile strength and elongation. But, in this experiment, it was intended to infer that from the quantitative changes in terminal aminp group content as well as in tensile strength and elongation. Silk yarn was treated with boiling water, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide under various conditions. The boiling water somewhat degraded silk fibroin. Silk yarn treated with sodium hydroxide contained more terminal amino group than that treated with hydrochloric acid. This result agreed fairly well with the loss in weight, tensile strength, and elongation: the terminal amino group content increased with the decrease of tensile strength, elongation, and weight. The damage by sodium hydroxide to the silk fibroin was greater than that by hydrochloric acid.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.115-122
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• 2011

The effect of dietary feeding of silk fibroin/sericinmixtureson the antioxidative status and glucose metabolism in high fat-fed mice was investigated. The mice weregiven experimental diets for 6 weeks: normal control (NC),high fat (HF) andhigh fat supplemented with F100 (pure fibroin, HF-F100), F81 (81:19 fibroin-sericin, w/w, HF-F81) or F50 (50:50 fibroin-sericin, w/w, HF-F50). The silk protein-fed mice showed decreased lipid peroxidation, enhancedantioxidant enzymesactivities and lower blood glucose level relative to HF group. The HF-F50 animals exhibited significantly lower insulin level, higher glycogen concentration, enhanced hepatic glucokinaseactivity and reduced glucose-6-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxynaseactivities than the HF ones. The $in$ $vivo$ antioxidant activity and hypoglycemic action tended to increase with increased amount of sericin and decreased fibroin content in the diet. These findings demonstrate that silk protein, particularly sericin, may be beneficial in suppressing high fat diet-induced hyperglycemiaand oxidative stress.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.131-135
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• 1998

Changes of silk fibroin molecular weight was studied by enzymatic proteolysis and reverse reaction of enzymatic proteolysis (plastein reaction) using chromatography, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis methods. When the treatment of enzymatic proteolysis with $\alpha$-chymotripsin to silk fibroin solution, a precipitate of Fcp fractions was formed. And, this was dissolved in LiBr aqueous solution, the precipitate of PIFcp fractions was obtained again. Fcp and PIFcp fractions showed silk IIand silk Itype structure, respectively. Fcp fractions was about 6,900 in molecular weight, PIFcp fractions obtained by plastein reaction on the precipitate of Fcp fractions increased molecular weight to abort 15,000. The molecular weight of Fcp fractions was increased by plastein reaction, but Fcp fractions almost transited to silk I type crystal. The structure of silk I type of PIFcp fractions was steady identified by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. As molecular weight of Fcp fractions was gradually low, PIFcp fractions was become to macromolecule little by little.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.1107-1112
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• 2008

Crystallization of calcium carbonate was performed by using aqueous calcium chloride and sodium carbonate for operational simplicity. Reaction time, solute concentrations, pH, and organic additive were varied to get calcium carbonate crystals. Silk fibroin was used as the additive to understand the change of morphology of calcium carbonate crystal. The crystals were analyzed by FE-SEM, XRD, and FT-IR. Reaction time, and pH mainly affected the morphology of crystals. Besides, it was found that silk fibroin inhibited the formation of vaterite and promoted the calcite forms.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2011

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer with acceptable mechanical strength and well-controlled degradation rate. Also, it can be easily fabricated into many shapes. Silk fibroin contains powerful bioactive molecules. We fabricated natural/synthetic hybrid films using 0, 10, 20, 40 and 80 wt% of silk fibroin. Schwann cells (SCs) were seeded on PLGA/silk fibroin hybrid films and confirmed the effects of adhesion and proliferation on SCs according to the content of silk fibroin. In this study, we confirmed PLGA/silk fibroin hybrid film containing 40% and 80% of silk fibroin interrupted adhesion and proliferation of SCs. Films containing 10% and 20% of silk, however, provided suitable environment for growth and proliferation of SCs. These results suggest that silk fibroin provides suitables surface to neural cells and its proper content provides proper culture conditions to improve cell adhesion and proliferation.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.24-29
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• 1994

In order to investigate the crystallization in silk fibroin induced by acid treatment and its photo-yellowing reduction effect. silk fibroin were immersed in PH 3.5~4.0 sulfuric acid and 0.01N hydro-chloric acid at 2$0^{\circ}C$, and the changes of crystallinity were measured by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction. Yellowness index caused by UV irradiation were also observed. The results are as follows : 1. ${\beta}$-form transition occurs when the silk fibroin are immersed at 2$0^{\circ}C$ in pH 3.5~4.0 sulfuric acid and 0.01N hydro-chloric acid. Formation of new hydrogenbond in molecules on the amorphous region induced ${\beta}$-form structure, and increased crystallinity. 2. Crystallization owing to $\beta$-form transition reduced the initial yellowness index by ultraviolet irradiation.