Tyrosinase-catalyzed grafting of sericin peptides onto chitosan and production of protein-polysaccharide bioconjugates

The capability of Agaricus bisporus tyrosinase to catalyze the oxidation of tyrosine residues of silk sericin was studied under homogeneous reaction conditions, by using sericin peptides purified from industrial wastewater as the substrate. Tyrosinase was able to oxidize about 57% of sericin-bound tyrosine residues. The reaction rate was higher than with silk fibroin, but lower than with other silk-derived model peptides, i.e. tryptic and chymotryptic soluble peptide fractions of silk fibroin, suggesting that the size and the molecular conformation of the substrate influenced the kinetics of the reaction. The concentration of tyrosine in oxidized sericin samples decreased gradually with increasing the enzyme-to-substrate ratio. The average molecular weight of sericin peptides significantly increased by oxidation, indicating that cross-linking occurred via self-condensation of o-quinones and/or coupling with the free amine groups of lysine and, probably, with sulfhydryl groups of cysteine. The high temperature shift of the main thermal transitions observed in the differential scanning calorimetry curves confirmed the formation of peptide species with higher molecular weight and higher thermal stability. Fourier transform-infrared spectra of oxidized sericin samples showed slight changes related to the loss of tyrosine and formation of oxidation products. Oxidized sericin peptides were able to undergo non-enzymatic coupling with chitosan. Infrared spectra provided clear evidence of the formation of sericin-chitosan bioconjugates under homogeneous reaction conditions. Spectral changes in the NH stretching region seem to support the formation of bioconjugates via the Michael addition mechanism.     

Effect of Strongly Alkaline Electrolyzed Water on Silk Degumming and the Physical Properties of the Fibroin Fiber

Strongly alkaline electrolyzed water (SAEW) was prepared by electrolysis of tap water in a laboratory-made water electrolyzer. The pH of stored SAEW was stable for more than one month. The hardness of the electrolyzed water was 30% lower and the Na⁺ concentration was 18% higher than those of the tap water. Silkworm cocoon shells were boiled in pH 11.50 SAEW at a ratio of 1∶40∼80 (W/V) for 20 min and the sericin layers around the silk fibroin fibers were removed completely. The tensile properties and thermal decomposition temperature of a single filament of silk fibroin obtained by the SAEW method were almost the same as those for the fiber obtained by the neutral soap, and much higher than those for the fiber obtained by Na₂CO₃ degumming. The results demonstrate that SAEW is an environmentally friendly and pollution-free silk degumming agent that allows highly efficient, low cost recovery of sericin.     

Fibroin and Sericin from Bombyx mori Silk Stimulate Cell Migration through Upregulation and Phosphorylation of c-Jun

Wound healing is a biological process directed to the restoration of tissue that has suffered an injury. An important phase of wound healing is the generation of a basal epithelium able to wholly replace the epidermis of the wound. A broad range of products derived from fibroin and sericin from Bombyx mori silk are used to stimulate wound healing. However, so far the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon has not been elucidated. The aim of this work was to determine the molecular basis underlying wound healing properties of silk proteins using a cell model. For this purpose, we assayed fibroin and sericin in a wound healing scratch assay using MDA-MB-231 and Mv1Lu cells. Both proteins stimulated cell migration. Furthermore, treatment with sericin and fibroin involved key factors of the wound healing process such as upregulation of c-Jun and c-Jun protein phosphorylation. Moreover, fibroin and sericin stimulated the phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 and JNK 1/2 kinases. All these experiments were done in the presence of specific inhibitors for some of the cell signalling pathways referred above. The obtained results revealed that MEK, JNK and PI3K pathways are involved in fibroin and sericin stimulated cells migration. Inhibition of these three kinases prevented c-Jun upregulation and phosphorylation by fibroin or sericin. Fibroin and sericin were tested in the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, with similar results. Altogether, our results showed that fibroin and sericin initiate cell migration by activating the MEK, JNK and PI3K signalling pathways ending in c-Jun activation.     

Hydrothermal production and characterization of protein and amino acids from silk waste

Non-catalytic hydrothermal decomposition of sericin and fibroin from silk waste into useful protein and amino acids was examined in a closed batch reactor at various temperatures, reaction times, and silk to water ratios to examine their effects on protein and amino acid yields. For the decomposition of sericin, the highest protein yield was found to be 0.466 mg protein/mg raw silk, obtained after 10 min hydrothermal reaction of silk waste at 1:100 silk to water ratio at 120 degrees C. The highest amino acid yield was found to be 0.203 mg amino acids/mg raw silk, obtained after 60 min of hydrothermal reaction of silk waste at 1:20 silk to water ratio at 160 degrees C. For the hydrothermal decomposition of fibroin, the highest protein yield was 0.455 mg protein/mg silk fibroin (1:100, 220 degrees C, 10 min) and that of amino acids was 0.755 mg amino acids/mg silk fibroin (1:50, 220 degrees C, 60 min). The rate of silk fibroin decomposition could be described by surface reaction kinetics. The soluble reaction products were freeze-dried to obtain sericin and fibroin particles, whose conformation and crystal structure of the particles were shown to differ from the original silk materials, particularly in the case of fibroin, in which the change from beta-sheet conformation to alpha-helix/random coil was observed.     

A comparison of Thai silk fibroin-based and chitosan-based materials on in vitro biocompatibility for bone substitutes

The novel hybrid scaffolds fabricated from silk fibroin, gelatin, low deacetylation degree chitosan and hydroxyapatite were investigated for their in vitro biocompatibility and osteoconductivity to mouse pre-osteoblast cell line (MC3T3-E1) and rat bone marrow-derived stem cells (MSC). We found that gelatin-conjugated silk fibroin films and scaffolds dominantly promoted cell adhesion and proliferation. Film and scaffold prepared from gelatin-conjugated silk fibroin with hydroxyapatite grown crystals effectively enhanced osteogenic differentiation of both cell types, as evaluated by alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium content. However the blend of hydroxyapatite/low deacetylation degree chitosan hybrid materials did not support cell growth. Furthermore, the blended hydroxyapatite in the bulk scaffold was found to be less effective for osteogenic differentiation than the scaffold with hydroxyapatite grown crystals. The comparative study between MC3T3-E1 and MSC showed that both cell types had similar trend of proliferation and osteogenic differentiation on the same material. Also, higher proliferative rate of MC3T3-E1 than MSC was observed.     

Preparation, characterization and biocompatibility of electrospinning heparin-modified silk fibroin nanofibers

In this study, the electrospun silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds were modified with heparin by grafting after plasma treatment and blending electrospinning. Morphology, microstructure, chemical composition and grafting efficiency of the heparin-modified silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized to evaluate the effect of modification by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The results showed that the heparin was successfully introduced to the silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds by both the two kinds of modification, and there was a hydrogen bonding between the silk fibroin and heparin. Moreover, the hydrophilicity, O-containing groups and negative charge density of the heparin-modified scaffolds were enhanced. In vitro coagulation time tests showed that the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT) and thrombin time (TT) of the heparin-modified scaffolds were much higher than those of the pure silk fibroin scaffolds. L929 fibroblasts and EVCs spread and proliferated better on the heparin-modified scaffolds than on the pure silk fibroin scaffolds. Macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes were not observed in the heparin-modified scaffolds, which indicated that the modified scaffolds could induce minor inflammation in vivo. The results indicated that the electrospun heparin-modified silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds could be considered as ideal candidates for tissue engineering scaffolds.     

The microbial degradation of silk: a laboratory investigation

A few bacterial species, mostly gram-negatives, were found to attach themselves and grow on silk buried in soil. On the contrary, no fungi were isolated in such experiments. Growth was more abundant on raw silk (composed of sericin and fibroin) than on degummed silk (fibroin only) indicating that the majority of these bacteria use sericin rather than fibroin for growth. Electron microscopy demonstrated that bacteria formed a biofilm on the fabric and caused extensive damage to the fibers resulting in considerable reduction in the mechanical properties. Of the three main bacterial species isolated from silk exposed to soil or by enrichment cultures of silk cocoons, only Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) cepacia appeared to be able to use fibroin as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen for growth. Indeed, in laboratory experiments, pure cultures of P. cepacia were found to form a well-developed biofilm on fibroin, to hydrolyze fibroin, and to produce an extracellular enzyme attacking this protein. The reported data indicate that bacteria but not fungi may attack and degrade silk proteins and thus cause irreversible damage to silk artifacts of artistic or historical interest.     

不同钙-醇溶解体系丝素蛋白的制备及表征研究

采用 ４种中性盐溶液 Ｃａ（ＮＯ３）２４Ｈ２Ｏ 甲醇、Ｃａ（ＮＯ３）２４Ｈ２Ｏ 乙醇、ＣａＣｌ２ 甲醇 水和 ＣａＣｌ２ 乙醇 水（摩尔比分别为 １∶２、１∶２、１∶２∶８、１∶２∶８）处理蚕丝纤维,透析后经冷冻干燥制成固体,利用ＳＤＳ ＰＡＧＥ、电镜扫描和红外光谱对制得的固体进行表征。ＳＤＳ ＰＡＧＥ结果表明：Ｃａ（ＮＯ３）２４Ｈ２Ｏ 醇体系降解丝素蛋白较 ＣａＣｌ２ 醇 水体系降解程度高;电镜扫描的结果表明 Ｃａ（ＮＯ３）２４Ｈ２Ｏ 甲醇和 ＣａＣｌ２ 乙醇 水溶解体系处理的丝素蛋白溶解比较完全,Ｃａ（ＮＯ３）２４Ｈ２Ｏ 甲醇处理的丝素蛋白冻干后为颗粒状,而 ＣａＣｌ２ 乙醇 水处理的丝素蛋白冻干后为片状。红外光谱的结果表明：４种溶液处理后的丝素蛋白构象均介于 β折叠和无规则卷曲之间,从而为丝素蛋白在药物缓释载体领域的应用提供了一定的理论依据。     

Balanced electrostatic blending approach--an alternative to chemical crosslinking of Thai silk fibroin/gelatin scaffold

In tissue engineering, chemical crosslinking is widely used for conjugating two or more biomaterials to mainly control biodegradability and strength. For example, Thai silk fibroin/gelatin scaffold will offer mechanical strength from Thai silk fibroin and cell attraction from gelatin. However, chemical crosslinking requires crosslinking agent which could potentially pose negative impact from remaining trace amount of chemicals especially in medical application. Here we present an alternative approach to chemical crosslinking—a balance electrostatic blending approach. In this approach, two opposite charge biomaterials were selected for blending, with different ratios. Both materials were bound together with electrostatic force. The maximum binding was achieved when mixture electric potential approaches zero. In this work, we compared this approach with traditionally chemical crosslinking in terms of physical appearance, binding effectiveness, mechanical strength (in dry/wet conditions), in vitro biodegradation, and cell proliferation. We found that 50/50 weight ratio of Thai silk fibroin/gelatin scaffold had almost comparable properties to chemical crosslinked scaffold. It has similar appearance, binding effectiveness, and affinity for cell proliferation. For mechanical properties, even this approach yields lower dry compressive modulus compared with chemical crosslinking. But in wet condition, the compressive modulus from both methods is similar. However, the biodegradation time of non-crosslinked scaffolds is slightly faster than that of chemical crosslinked ones. These results demonstrate that a balance electrostatic approach is an alternative approach to chemical crosslinking when there is a concern of remaining trace amount of crosslinking agent in medical application.     

The Effect of Sterilization Methods on the Physical Properties of Silk Sericin Scaffolds

Protein-based biomaterials respond differently to sterilization methods. Since protein is a complex structure, heat, or irradiation may result in the loss of its physical or biological properties. Recent investigations have shown that sericin, a degumming silk protein, can be successfully formed into a 3-D scaffolds after mixing with other polymers which can be applied in skin tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ethanol, ethylene oxide (EtO) and gamma irradiation on the sterilization of sericin scaffolds. The influence of these sterilization methods on the physical properties such as pore size, scaffold dimensions, swelling and mechanical properties, as well as the amount of sericin released from sericin/polyvinyl alcohol/glycerin scaffolds, were also investigated. Ethanol treatment was ineffective for sericin scaffold sterilization whereas gamma irradiation was the most effective technique for scaffold sterilization. Moreover, ethanol also caused significant changes in pore size resulting from shrinkage of the scaffold. Gamma-irradiated samples exhibited the highest swelling property, but they also lost the greatest amount of weight after immersion for 24 h compared with scaffolds obtained from other sterilization methods. The results of the maximum stress test and Young’s modulus showed that gamma-irradiated and ethanol-treated scaffolds are more flexible than the EtO-treated and untreated scaffolds. The amount of sericin released, which was related to its collagen promoting effect, was highest from the gamma-irradiated scaffold. The results of this study indicate that gamma irradiation should have the greatest potential for sterilizing sericin scaffolds for skin tissue engineering.     

Effect of polyamines on mechanical and structural properties of Bombyx mori silk

Silkworm, Bombyx mori (B. mori) belongs to the Lepidoptera family. The silk produced from this insect, mulberry silk, gained lot of importance as a fabric. Silk is being exploited as a biomaterial due to its surprising strength and biocompatibility. Polyamines (PA) are important cell growth regulators. In the present work the effect of treatment of polyamines, putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm) on the quantity and quality of silk produced was assessed. Results showed that exogenous feeding of Spd at a concentration of 50 µM increased fiber length significantly. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) on the properties of silk obtained from Spd treated silkworms revealed an increase in percentage of absorption with no difference in peak positions of amide I and amide III groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed an increase in diameter of silk. Further, analysis at molecular level showed an increase in fibroin expression in Spd treated silk glands. However, the Spd treatment showed no significant difference with respect to fibroin to sericin ratio per unit weight of cocoon, silk tenacity, and percent elongation. Thus, the present results show that polyamine treatment would influence silk quality at structural, mechanical, and molecular level in the Bombyx mori, which can be exploited in silk biomaterial production.     

Freeze-gelled silk fibroin protein scaffolds for potential applications in soft tissue engineering

Recently tissue engineering has escalated much interest in biomedical and biotechnological applications. In this regard, exploration of new and suitable biomaterials is needed. Silk fibroin protein is used as one of the most preferable biomaterials for fabrication of scaffolds and several new techniques are being adopted to fabricate silk scaffolds with greater ease, efficiency and perfection. In this study, a freeze gelation technique is used for fabrication of silk fibroin protein 3D scaffolds, which is both time and energy efficient as compared to the conventional freeze drying technique. The fabricated silk fibroin freeze-gelled scaffolds are evaluated micro structurally for morphology with scanning electron microscopy which reveals relatively homogeneous pore structure and good interconnectivity. The pore sizes and porosity of these scaffolds ranges between 60-110 μm and 90-95%, respectively. Mechanical test shows that the compressive strength of the scaffolds is in the range of 20-40 kPa. The applicability to cell culture of the freeze gelled scaffolds has been examined with human keratinocytes HaCat cells which show the good cell viability and proliferation of cells after 5 days of culture suggesting the cytocompatibility. The freeze-gelled 3D scaffolds show comparable results with the conventionally prepared freeze dried 3D scaffolds. Thus, this technique may be used as an alternative method for 3D scaffolds preparation and may also be utilized for tissue engineering applications.     

Silk scaffolds connected with different naturally occurring biomaterials for prostate cancer cell cultivation in 3D

In the present work, different biopolymer blend scaffolds based on the silk protein fibroin from Bombyx mori (BM) were prepared via freeze‐drying method. The chemical, structural, and mechanical properties of the three dimensional (3D) porous silk fibroin (SF) composite scaffolds of gelatin, collagen, and chitosan as well as SF from Antheraea pernyi (AP) and the recombinant spider silk protein spidroin (SSP1) have been systematically investigated, followed by cell culture experiments with epithelial prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) up to 14 days. Compared to the pure SF scaffold of BM, the blend scaffolds differ in porous morphology, elasticity, swelling behavior, and biochemical composition. The new composite scaffold with SSP1 showed an increased swelling degree and soft tissue like elastic properties. Whereas, in vitro cultivation of LNCaP cells demonstrated an increased growth behavior and spheroid formation within chitosan blended scaffolds based on its remarkable porosity, which supports nutrient supply matrix. Results of this study suggest that silk fibroin matrices are sufficient and certain SF composite scaffolds even improve 3D cell cultivation for prostate cancer research compared to matrices based on pure biomaterials or synthetic polymers.     

Histochemical and ultrastructural evidence of lipid secretion by the silk gland of the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

The silk gland in Lepidoptera larvae is responsible for the silk production used for shelter or cocoon construction. The secretion of fibroin and sericin by the different silk gland regions are well established. There are few attempts to detect lipid components in the insect silk secretion, although the presence of such element may contribute to the resistance of the shelter to wet environment. This study characterizes the glandular region and detects the presence of lipid components in the secretion of the silk gland of Diatraea saccharalis(Fabricius). The silk gland was submitted to histochemical procedure for lipid detection or conventionally prepared for ultrastructural analyses. Lipid droplets were histochemically detected in both the apical cytoplasm of cell of the anterior region and in the lumen among the microvilli. Ultrastructural analyses of the anterior region showed lipid material, visualized as myelin-like structures within the vesicular Golgi complex and in the apical secretory globules, mixed up with the sericin; similar material was observed into the lumen, adjacent to the microvilli. Lipids were not detected in the cells neither in the lumen of the posterior region. Our results suggest that the silk produced by D. saccharalis has a minor lipid content that is secreted by the anterior region together with the sericin.     

Effects of silk sericin on the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cells

Sericin is a silk protein woven from silkworm cocoons (Bombyx mori). In animal model, sericin has been reported to have anti-tumoral action against colon cancer. The mechanisms underlying the activity of sericin against cancer cells are not fully understood. The present study investigated the effects of sericin on human colorectal cancer SW480 cells compared to normal colonic mucosal FHC cells. Since the size of the sericin protein may be important for its activity, two ranges of molecular weight were tested. Sericin was found to decrease SW480 and FHC cell viability. The small sericin had higher anti-proliferative effects than that of the large sericin in both cell types. Increased apoptosis of SW480 cells is associated with increased caspase-3 activity and decreased Bcl-2 expression. The anti-proliferative effect of sericin was accompanied by cell cycle arrest at the S phase. Thus, sericin reduced SW480 cell viability by inducing cell apoptosis via caspase-3 activation and down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression. The present study provides scientific data that support the protective effect of silk sericin against cancer cells of the colon and suggests that this protein may have significant health benefits and could potentially be developed as a dietary supplement for colon cancer prevention.     

Silk–PVA Hybrid Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Enhanced Primary Human Meniscal Cell Proliferation

In this study, silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds were developed to investigate the attachment and proliferation of primary human meniscal cells. Silk fibroin (SF)–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blended electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds with different blend ratios (2:1, 3:1, and 4:1) were prepared. Morphology of the scaffolds was characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The hybrid nanofibrous mats were crosslinked using 25 % (v/v) glutaraldehyde vapor. In degradation study, the crosslinked nanofiber showed slow degradation of 20 % on weight after 35 days of incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF). The scaffolds were characterized with suitable techniques for its functional groups, porosity, and swelling ratio. Among the nanofibers, 3:1 SF:PVA blend showed uniform morphology and fiber diameter. The blended scaffolds had fluid uptake and swelling ratio of 80 % and 458 ± 21 %, respectively. Primary meniscal cells isolated from surgical debris after meniscectomy were subcultured and seeded onto these hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds. Meniscal cell attachment studies confirmed that 3:1 SF:PVA nanofibrous scaffolds supported better cell attachment and growth. The DNA and collagen content increased significantly with 3:1 SF:PVA. These results clearly indicate that a blend of SF:PVA at 3:1 ratio is suitable for meniscus cell proliferation when compared to pure SF-PVA nanofibers.     

Electrospun PLGA�Csilk fibroin�Ccollagen nanofibrous scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering

Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds varying different materials are fabricated for tissue engineering. PLGA, silk fibroin, and collagen-derived scaffolds have been proved on good biocompatibility with neurons. However, no systematic studies have been performed to examine the PLGA-silk fibroin-collagen (PLGA-SF-COL) biocomposite fiber matrices for nerve tissue engineering. In this study, different weight ratio PLGA-SF-COL (50:25:25, 30:35:35) scaffolds were produced via electrospinning. The physical and mechanical properties were tested. The average fiber diameter ranged from 280 + 26 to 168 + 21 nm with high porosity and hydrophilicity; the tensile strength was 1.76 ± 0.32 and 1.25 ± 0.20 Mpa, respectively. The results demonstrated that electrospinning polymer blending is a simple and effective approach for fabricating novel biocomposite nanofibrous scaffolds. The properties of the scaffolds can be strongly influenced by the concentration of collagen and silk fibroin in the biocomposite. To assay the cytocompatibility, Schwann cells were seeded on the scaffolds; cell attachment, growth morphology, and proliferation were studied. SEM and MTT results confirmed that PLGA-SF-COL scaffolds particularly the one that contains 50% PLGA, 25% silk fibroin, and 25% collagen is more suitable for nerve tissue engineering compared to PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds.