• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.303-311
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• 2013

In this study, we compared the efficiency of osteoblast differentiation media (ODM) containing three distinct reagent combinations in osteoblastic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) in monolayer culture. In addition, we analyzed growth and differentiation of hBMSCs on silk scaffolds and examined the bone-forming activity of a nanofibrous silk scaffold in a tibia diaphysis defect model of a rat hind limb with intramedullary nailing. Although all three ODM increased alkaline phosphatase activity to a comparable extent, the ODM containing bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) was found to be significantly less effective in promoting mineral deposition than the others. Growth of hBMSCs on sponge-form silk scaffolds was faster than on nanofibrous ones, while osteoblastic differentiation was apparent in the cells grown on either type of scaffold. By contrast, bone formation was observed only at the edge of the nanofibrous scaffold implanted in the tibia diaphysis defect, suggesting that use of the silk scaffold alone is not sufficient for the reconstitution of the long bone defect. Since silk scaffolds can support cell growth and differentiation in vitro, loading MSCs on scaffolds might be necessary to improve the bone-forming activity of the scaffold in the long bone defect model.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

Silk sericin, a natural protein from silkworm cocoons, is emerging as a multifunctional biomaterial in biomedicine, particularly in tissue engineering and wound healing. Recent studies have highlighted its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and potential for chemical modification, which allows it to be incorporated into various scaffold architectures. This review article synthesizes current research, including the development of sericin-based hydrogel scaffolds for tissue engineering and sericin's role in enhancing wound healing. Key findings demonstrate sericin's ability to refine scaffold porosity and mechanical strength, expedite tissue healing, and reduce bacterial load in wounds. The integration of sericin into novel bioactive dressings and its use in peripheral nerve injury repair are also discussed, showcasing its adaptability and efficacy. The convergence of these studies illustrates the broad applications of sericin, from scaffold design to clinical interventions, making it a promising material in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, with the potential to improve patient outcomes significantly.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.315-322
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• 2013

Purpose: In this study, we investigated the effect of silk scaffolds on one-wall periodontal intrabony defects. We conjugated nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) onto a silk scaffold and then seeded periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) or dental pulp cells (DPCs) onto the scaffold. Methods: Five dogs were used in this study. Bilateral 4 mm${\times}$2 mm (depth${\times}$mesiodistal width), one-wall intrabony periodontal defects were surgically created on the distal side of the mandibular second premolar and the mesial side of the mandibular fourth premolar. In each dog, four of the defects were separately and randomly assigned to the following groups: the PDLCcultured scaffold transplantation group (PDLC group), the DPC-cultured scaffold transplantation group (DPC group), the normal saline-soaked scaffold transplantation group, and the control group. The animals were euthanized following an 8-week healing interval for clinical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and histologic evaluations. Results: There was no sign of inflammation or other clinical signs of postoperative complications. The examination of cellseeded constructs by SEM provided visual confirmation of the favorable characteristics of nHA-coated silk scaffolds for tissue engineering. The scaffolds exhibited a firm connective porous structure in cross section, and after PDLCs and DPCs were seeded onto the scaffolds and cultured for 3 weeks, the attachment of well-spread cells and the formation of extracellular matrix (ECM) were observed. The histologic analysis revealed that a well-maintained grafted volume was present at all experimental sites for 8 weeks. Small amounts of inflammatory cells were seen within the scaffolds. The PDLC and DPC groups did not have remarkably different histologic appearances. Conclusions: These observations indicate that nHA-coated silk scaffolds can be considered to be potentially useful biomaterials for periodontal regeneration.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.193-199
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• 2011

Silk protein and agarose are widely known as biocompatible materials in the human body. A three-dimensional (3D) scaffold composed of agarose and low-molecular- weight silk fibroin (LSF) was fabricated and examined in terms of structural characteristics and cellular responses in bone tissue engineering. This study showed that mouse pluripotent precursor cells attached to and proliferated uniformly on and within the LSF-containing 3D scaffold. Interestingly, cell proliferation and attachment was shown to be higher in a 3D scaffold containing 0.02% LSF, as compared to other LSF concentrations. The results of this study suggest that agarose-LSF scaffolds may be useful materials for tissue engineering.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.75-79
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• 2012

Low-melting-temperature agarose gel solution, as a novel porogen was combined with a silk fibroin solution to generate interconnected porous networks. The porosity of the resultant silk fibroin-agarose scaffolds was greater than that of the scaffolds generated with agarose and deionized water. The porosities of silk fibroin scaffolds containing agarose gel at 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% [w/v] were 110.9%, 111.7%, 120.9%, and 123.0%, respectively. Lastly, the internal space generated in scaffolds after dissolution of the agarose gel provides a good environment for cell growth and movement within the scaffold.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.459-466
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• 2011

Purpose: This study evaluated the capability of bone formation with silk fibroin/nano-hydroxyapatite/corn starch composite scaffold as a bone defect replacement matrix when grafted in a calvarial bone defect of rabbits $in$ $vivo$. Methods: Ten New Zealand white rabbits were used for this study and bilateral round-shaped defects were formed in the parietal bone (diameter: 8.0 mm). The silk fibroin 10% nano-hydroxyapatite/30% corn starch/60% composite scaffold was grafted into the right parietal bone (experimental group). The left side (control group) was grafted with a nano-hydroxyapatite (30%)/corn starch (70%) scaffold. The animals were sacrificed at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. A micro-computerized tomography (${\mu}CT$) of each specimen was taken. Subsequently, the specimens were decalcified and stained with Masson's trichrome for histological and histomorphometric analysis. Results: The average ${\mu}CT$ and histomorphometric measures of bone formation were higher in the control group than in the experimental group at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after surgery though not statistically significant ($P$ >0.05). Conclusion: The rabbit calvarial defect was not successfully repaired by silk fibroin/nano-hydroxyapatite/corn starch composite scaffold and may have been due to an inflammatory reaction caused by silk powder. In the future, the development of composite bone graft material based on various components should be performed with caution.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.378-384
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• 2011

Silk fibroin is a biocompatible and slowly biodegradable natural polymer. This natural polymer has excellent mechanical properties, non-toxicity, and non-immunogenic properties and has been demonstrated to support tissue regeneration. Also, gelatin is a natural material derived from collagen by hydrolysis and has an almost identical composition as that of collagen. Silk fibroin/gelatin scaffolds have been fabricated by using the freeze-drying method. To establish the scaffold manufacturing condition for silk fibroin and gelatin, we made scaffolds with various compositions of gelatin, glutaldehyde and silk fibroin. The silk fibroin/gelatin scaffolds were characterized using SEM, DSC, and water absorption ability tests. The cellular proliferation was evaluated by WST assay. These results suggested that a scaffold containing 8% of gelatin, 1% of glutaldehyde and 0.3 g of silk fibroin provided suitable characterstics for cell adhesion and proliferation. In conclusion, the silk fibroin/gelatin scaffold may serve as a potential cell delivery vehicle and a structural basis for tissue engineering.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.293-300
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• 2011

Purpose: Substance P is a well known neurotransmitter and has been known to mediate pain. Recently, it has been unveiled that substance P is involved in the recruitment of mesenchymal stem cells to wound sites. The purpose of this study was to exam bone formation when a combination of substance P and silk fibroin was used in a bone defect model. Methods: Twenty rabbits were used and 40 calvarial defects were formed. They were divided as 4 groups (unfilled control, silk only, silk+$10{\mu}g$/ml substance P; Sub10, and silk+$100{\mu}g$/ml substance P; Sub100). All animals were humanely sacrificed 4 or 8 weeks after grafting. The specimens were analyzed by micro-computerized tomography and histological analysis. Results: When compared to the unfilled control to silk only group, there was significant difference in bone mineral density (BMD) and the attenuation coefficient (AC) at 4 weeks ($p$=0.037 and 0.038, respectively). When compared Sub10 group to Sub100 group, there was significant difference in BMD and AC at 8 weeks ($p$=0.004 for all). Residual graft amounts were $52.1{\pm}15.8$%, $15.2{\pm}9.2$% and $9.0{\pm}3.3$% for silk only, Sub10, and Sub100 groups, respectively. When comparing the residual graft amount of silk only to sub10 or sub100, the differences were statistically significant ($p$ <0.001). Conclusion: The silk fibroin scaffold showed higher BMD and AC than the unfilled control. The combination graft with substance P and silk fibroin scaffold showed a faster graft degradation than with a silk fibroin scaffold only.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.51
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• pp.11.1-11.9
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• 2021

Spider capture silk is a natural scaffolding material that outperforms most synthetic materials in terms of its combination of strength and elasticity. Among the various kinds of silk threads, cribellar thread is the most primitive prey-capturing type of spider web material. We analyzed the functional organization of the sieve-like cribellum spigots and specialized calamistral comb bristles for capture thread production by the titanoecid spider Nurscia albofasciata. The outer cribellar surface is covered with thousands of tiny spigots, and the cribellar plate produces non-sticky threads composed of thousands of fine nanofibers. N. albofasciata cribellar spigots are typically about 10 ㎛ long, and each spigot appears as a long individual shaft with a pagoda-like tiered tip. The five distinct segments comprising each spigot is a defining characteristic of this spider. This segmented and flexible structure not only allows for spigots to bend individually and join with adjacent spigots, but it also enables spigots to draw the silk fibrils from their cribella with rows of calamistral leg bristles to form cribellar prey-capture threads.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.651-655
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• 2012

Considerable effort has been directed toward the use of silk fibroin as a biotechnological material in biomedical applications on account of its excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and unique mechanical properties. For use in tissue engineering, it is very important to design and control the pore architecture of polymeric scaffolds, which provide the vital framework for seeded cells to organize into functioning tissue. In the present study, a silk fibroin scaffold with controlled interconnectivity and pore size was prepared using an electrospinning method with poly(ethylene oxide).