Regenerated silk fibroin loaded with natural additives: a sustainable approach towards health care

Niranjana Prakash, Xungai Wang, Balasubramanian Kandasubramanian

Research output: Journal article publicationReview articleAcademic researchpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

According to World Health Organization (WHO), on average,
0.5 Kg of hazardous waste is generated per bed every day in
high-income countries. The adverse effects imposed by synthetic
materials and chemicals on the environment and humankind
have urged researchers to explore greener technologies and
materials. Amidst of all the natural fibers, silk fibroin (SF), by virtue
of its superior toughness (6 104 16 104 J/kg), tensile
strength (47.2–67.7MPa), tunable biodegradability, excellent
Young’s modulus (1.9–3.9 GPa), presence of functional groups,
ease of processing, and biocompatibility has garnered an enormous
amount of scientific interests. The use of silk fibroin conjoint
with purely natural materials can be an excellent solution for
the adverse effects of chemical-based treatment techniques.
Considering this noteworthiness, vigorous research is going on in
silk-based biomaterials, and it is opening up new vistas of opportunities.
This review enswathes the structural aspects of silk
fibroin along with its potency to form composites with other natural
materials, such as curcumin, keratin, alginate, hydroxyapatite,
hyaluronic acid, and cellulose, that can replace the conventionally
used synthetic materials, providing a sustainable pathway to biomedical
engineering. It was observed that a large amount of polar
functional moieties present on the silk fibroin surface enables
them to compatibilize easily with the natural additives. The conjunction
of silk with natural additives initiates synergistic interactions
that mitigate the limitations offered by individual units as
well as enhance the applicability of materials. Further the current
status and challenges in the commercialization of silk-based biomedical
devices are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1453-1490
Number of pages38
JournalJournal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition
Volume34
Issue number10
Early online date25 Jan 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Silk fibroin
  • biomedical
  • green technology
  • natural additives

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Biophysics
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomaterials

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