Preparation and Characterization of Natural Silk Fibroin Hydrogel for Protein Drug Delivery

In recent years, hydrogels have been widely used as drug carriers, especially in the area of protein delivery. The natural silk fibroin produced from cocoons of the Bombyx mori silkworm possesses excellent biocompatibility, significant bioactivity, and biodegradability. Therefore, silk fibroin-based hydrogels are arousing widespread interest in biomedical research. In this study, a process for extracting natural silk fibroin from raw silk textile yarns was established, and three aqueous solutions of silk fibroin with different molecular weight distributions were successfully prepared by controlling the degumming time. Silk fibroin was dispersed in the aqueous solution as “spherical” aggregate particles, and the smaller particles continuously accumulated into large particles. Finally, a silk fibroin hydrogel network was formed. A rheological analysis showed that as the concentration of the silk fibroin hydrogel increased its storage modulus increased significantly. The degradation behavior of silk fibroin hydrogel in different media verified its excellent stability, and the prepared silk fibroin hydrogel had good biocompatibility and an excellent drug-loading capacity. After the protein model drug BSA was loaded, the cumulative drug release within 12 h reached 80%. We hope that these investigations will promote the potential utilities of silk fibroin hydrogels in clinical medicine.     

丝素蛋白膜上5-氟尿嘧啶的包埋及其释放

讨论了包埋在丝素膜中的５－氟脲嘧啶（５－ＦＵ）的固定状况,在不同ＰＨ值下测定了丝素５－ＦＵ复合膜中药物的释放,实验结果表明：５－ＦＵ均匀地被包埋在丝素膜中,即丝素膜可以作为５－ＦＵ载体,经过比涂层保护,丝素５－ＦＵ复合膜中的５－ＦＵ溶解释放速率变慢,释放时间延长;经涂层的 素５－ＦＵ复合膜在接近丝素蛋白等电点（ＰＨ＝４．５）时,５－ＦＵ在溶液中释放速度较慢,释放时间较长,表明用调节外部溶液ＰＨ值的     

丝素蛋白纤维及功能化材料的设计与构筑

随着环境污染、资源枯竭和医疗健康等问题的加剧,研发同时满足特定使用性能、安全性及可再生性的新型材料成为当前的发展趋势.而丝素蛋白材料正是以天然蚕丝为基本原材料,经一定的加工和功能化而形成的具有特殊结构、独特性能和广泛应用的生物质材料,近年来在生物医药、生物电子、智能传感等领域展现出巨大的应用潜力.本专论总结了丝素蛋白纤维及功能化材料的最新成果,结合本课题组相关工作,重点阐述了再生丝素蛋白纤维的仿生制备、生物医用支架的构筑与功能化、智能电子材料的设计以及天然多功能蚕丝及其构筑基元制备的研究进展,以期为高性能丝素蛋白材料的设计与构筑提供指导和借鉴.     

Peptide-Functionalized Silk Fibers as a Platform to Stabilize Gelatin for Use in Ingestible Devices

The combination of pharmacologic and endoscopic therapies is the gold standard for treating intestinal failures. The possibility of chemical solubility in water is mandatory for intelligent capsules. Functionalised silk fibroin with peptides and covalently linking different molecular entities to its structure make this protein a platform for preparing gels dissolving in the small and large intestine for drug delivery. In the present study, we linked a peptide containing the cell-adhesive motif Arginine–Glycine–Aspartic acid (RGD) to degummed silk fibres (DSF). Regenerated silk fibroin (RS) films obtained by dissolving functionalised DSF in formic acid were used to prepare composite gelatin. We show that such composite gelatin remains stable and elastic in the simulated gastric fluid (SGF) but can dissolve in the small and large intestines’ neutral-pH simulated intestine fluid (SIF). These findings open up the possibility of designing microfabricated and physically programmable scaffolds that locally promote tissue regeneration, thanks to bio-enabled materials based on functionalised regenerated silk.     

丝素纳米颗粒的制备及应用于L-天冬酰胺酶的固定化

丝素蛋白纤维溶于高浓度中性盐溴化锂溶液或氯化钙-乙醇-水三元溶剂中, 经过透析和纯化可以制成3种液态丝素. SDS-PAGE分析结果表明, 其分子量分布范围明显不同. 应用能与水混溶的有机溶剂如丙酮等可将这种丝素制成丝素纳米颗粒, 用SEM观察到丝素纳米颗粒粒径分布范围为50~120 nm. 以戊二醛为交联剂, 将治疗急性淋巴性白血病常用酶制剂L-天冬酰胺酶共价结合在丝素纳米颗粒上. 酶活性分析结果表明, 由肽链断裂较少的丝素制备的纳米颗粒更适合于酶的生物结合. 酶动力学研究结果表明, 这种固定化酶活性回收率为44%, 热稳定性较游离酶有明显提高, 最适pH值范围加宽为6.0~8.0, 最适反应温度提高10 ℃; 抗胰蛋白酶水解能力明显增强. 结果表明, 丝素纳米颗粒与丝素蛋白膜一样, 是一种酶固定化的良好载体, 在药物缓释系统方面具有潜在的研究和开发价值.     

Polylactic acid/silk fibroin composite hollow fibers as excellent controlled drug release systems

Polylactic acid (PLA) and silk fibroin (SF) have been widely used in biomedical applications because of their excellent biocompatibility and degradability. In this study, PLA and SF were used as raw materials to prepare hollow fibers with a skin-core structure by wet spinning technology. Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed that the structure of hollow fibers became increasingly uniform with increasing silk fibroin mass fraction. Tensile test results showed that with the increase of silk fibroin content, the elastic modulus of hollow fibers decreased and their tensile properties improved. The results of hollow fibers degradation experiments revealed that increasing the content of silk fibroin can effectively shorten the degradation time of hollow fibers. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry was used to measure the absorbance of tetracycline hydrochloride in phosphate buffer saline and calculate its release rate in hollow fibers with different silk fibroin contents, the result is HFs-9 > HFs-7 > HFs-0 > HFs-5 > HFs-3. The PLA/SF controlled drug release system has precise controlled release of the drug, realizes the separation of the drug from the controlled release system, and solves the problem of sudden drug release. In addition, the controlled release system is non-toxic, degradable, and has excellent mechanical properties.     

天然蚕丝丝素蛋白的乳化活性

采用不同油相制备了系列丝素蛋白乳液, 研究了丝素蛋白浓度、 油相体积分数和油相极性对丝素蛋白的乳化活性指数、 丝素蛋白乳液的稳定性和类型及乳液液滴的微观形态、 粒径与zeta电位的影响, 探讨了丝素蛋白的乳化活性和乳液稳定机制. 结果表明, 丝素蛋白具有两亲性和表面活性, 可在油水界面富集并形成稳定的黏弹性保护膜; 丝素蛋白的乳化活性随其浓度的增大而减小, 随油相体积分数的增大而增大; 丝素蛋白浓度和油相体积分数的增加可提高稳定乳液体积分数.     

Advances of Microneedles in Biomedical Applications

A microneedle (MN) is a painless and minimally invasive drug delivery device initially developed in 1976. As microneedle technology evolves, microneedles with different shapes (cone and pyramid) and forms (solid, drug-coated, hollow, dissolvable and hydrogel-based microneedles) have been developed. The main objective of this review is the applications of microneedles in biomedical areas. Firstly, the classifications and manufacturing of microneedle are briefly introduced so that we can learn the advantages and fabrications of different MNs. Secondly, research of microneedles in biomedical therapy such as drug delivery systems, diagnoses of disease, as well as wound repair and cancer therapy are overviewed. Finally, the safety and the vision of the future of MNs are discussed.     

蚕丝蛋白与硅溶胶复合材料的研究

采用动态力学测试手段(DMA)并结合扫描电镜和拉曼光谱等方法,考察了用桑蚕丝蛋白与二氧化硅水分散体系(硅溶胶)制备的复合材料的结构与性质.结果表明,在此共混体系中,直径约为100 nm的二氧化硅聚集体与丝蛋白连续相的界面相容性良好.动态力学测试发现,复合材料的动态力学性能在15℃到55℃范围相对于纯丝蛋白材料得到了改善,二氧化硅组分的加入对丝蛋白分子链段的运动性有所阻碍,从而导致了40℃模量损耗的消失.     

Fabrication of silk fibroin film with properties of thermal insulation and temperature monitoring

Silk fibroin exhibits excellent mechanical properties, good biocompatibility, and biodegradability combined with benign processing conditions, attracting considerable research interest for the application as biomedical materials. Among the diverse forms of sponges, hydrogels, films, and mats manufactured from silk fibroin, films are especially appealing due to the high water and oxygen permeability, good cell attachment, and low immunogenicity. Fabrication of silk fibroin films with novel properties has been successfully developed simply by incorporating various functional components into it. In the present study, the properties of thermal insulation and temperature monitoring for the silk fibroin film are demonstrated for the first time through the incorporation of thermochromic microcapsules within it. Moreover, the silk fibroin film is also endowed with improved mechanical properties in terms of tension strength and elongation at break because of the reinforcing effect of thermochromic microcapsules. The silk fibroin film fabricated with novel features in this study can be a good candidate for the application of wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds, and bio‐related devices in the future. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1846–1852     

Biopolymer based nanomaterials in drug delivery systems: A review

Drug delivery systems (DDS) are used to achieve a higher therapeutic effects of a pharmaceutical drug or natural compound in a specific diseased site with minimal toxicological effect and these systems consists of liposomes, microspheres, gels, prodrugs and many. Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing multi-disciplinary science that ensures the fabrication of the polymers to nanometer scale for various medical applications. Uses of biopolymers in DDS ensure the biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity over the synthetic ones. Biopolymers such as silk fibroins, collagen, gelatin, albumin, starch, cellulose and chitosan can be easily made into suspension that serve as delivery vehicles for both macro and mini drug molecules. There are various methods such as supercritical fluid extraction, desolvation, electrospraying, spray-drying, layer-by-layer self-assembly, freeze-drying and microemulsion introduced to make these DDS. This drug carrier systems enhance the drug delivery actively and can be used in ocular, transdermal, dental or intranasal delivery systems. This review describes the new trends in nanomaterials based drug delivery systems mainly using biopolymers such as proteins (silk fibroin, collagen, gelatin and albumin) and polysaccharides (chitosan, alginate, cellulose and starch).     

Effect of β-sheet crystalline content on mass transfer in silk films

The material properties of silk are favorable for drug delivery due to the ability to control material structure and morphology under ambient, aqueous processing conditions. Mass transport of compounds with varying physical-chemical characteristics was studied in silk fibroin films with control of β-sheet crystalline content. Two compounds, vitamin B12 and fluorescein isothiocynate (FITC) labeled lysozyme were studied in a diffusion apparatus to determine transport through silk films. The films exhibited size exclusion phenomenon with permeability coefficients with contrasting trends with increases in β-sheet crystallinity. The size exclusion phenomenon observed with the two model compounds was characterized by contrasting trends in permeability coefficients of the films as a function of β-sheet crystallinity. The diffusivity of the compounds was examined in the context of free volume theory. Apart from the β-sheet crystallinity, size of the compound and its interactions with silk influenced mass transfer. Diffusivity of vitamin B12 was modeled to define a power law relationship with β-sheet crystallinity. The results of the study demonstrate that diffusion of therapeutic agents though silk fibroin films can be directed to match a desired rate by modulating secondary structure of the silk proteins.     

Biomaterial coatings by stepwise deposition of silk fibroin

A completely aqueous, stepwise deposition process with Bombyx mori silk fibroin for the assembly of nanoscale thin film coatings is reported the first time. The focus of this work was to develop an understanding of the control of this deposition process and to characterize the films formed from a physicochemical perspective. The deposition process was monitored by UV spectrophotometry and research quartz crystal microbalance. Both absorbance and film thickness correlated linearly with the number of silk fibroin layers deposited, analogous to multilayered materials fabricated from conventional polyelectrolytes. The polymer adsorption process was stable and reproducible, with control of a single layer thickness ranging from a few to tens of nanometers, determined by the concentrations of silk fibroin, salt concentration in the dipping solution, and method of rinsing. The driving force for the assembly of silk fibroin onto the substrate was primarily hydrophobic interactions, while some electrostatic interactions were also involved. The difference with this approach from traditional polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer techniques is that an intervening drying step is used to control the structure and stability of the self-assembled silk fibroin. The assembled films were stable under physiological conditions and supported human bone marrow stem cell adhesion, growth, and differentiation. This approach offers new options to engineer biomaterial coatings as well as bulk materials with control of both interfacial properties conducive to specific cellular or tissue responses and the potential to entrap and deliver labile molecules or other components due to the all-aqueous process described.     

微针的制备及应用研究

本文主要针对微针的材质、分类、设计、制备与加工方法进行分析,例举了金属、硅、高分子聚合物和一些其他的微针材料。同时也对微针的应用,例如经皮给药的方法、途径、影响进行说明,也对其作用于糖尿病、皮肤病和其他疾病及其复合应用进行了简单分析。高分子聚合物微针和新型微针的发展可以显著提高药物的透皮速率和分子量,但是在安全性上还有待进一步研究。     

Preparation and characterization of chitin whisker-reinforced silk fibroin nanocomposite sponges

For highly porous form such as sponges or scaffolds, the induction of the β-sheet formation of silk fibroin to make the water-stable materials usually results in their high shrinkage leading to a difficulty in controlling shape and size of materials. Thus, the objective of this study was to improve dimensional stability of silk fibroin sponge by incorporating chitin whiskers as nanofiller. Chitin whiskers exhibited the average length and width of 427 and 43 nm, respectively. Nanocomposite sponges at chitin whiskers to silk fibroin weight ratio (C/S ratio) of 0, 1/8, 2/8, or 4/8 were prepared by using a freeze-drying technique. The dispersion of chitin whiskers embedded in the silk fibroin matrix was found to be homogeneous. The presence of chitin whiskers embedded into silk fibroin sponge not only improved its dimensional stability but also enhanced its compression strength. Regardless of the chitin whisker content, SEM micrographs showed that all samples possessed an interconnected pore network with an average pore size of 150 μm. To investigate the feasibility of the nanocomposites for tissue engineering applications, L929 cells were seeded onto their surfaces, the results indicated that silk fibroin sponges both with and without chitin whiskers were cytocompatible. Moreover, when compared to the neat silk fibroin sponge, the incorporation of chitin whiskers into the silk fibroin matrix was found to promote cell spreading.     

从天然动物丝到丝蛋白基材料的研究

作为具有优异综合力学性能的天然蛋白质纤维,丰产的动物丝特别是蚕丝长期伴随着人们的日常生活,近十余年来,各种具有特色的功能性丝蛋白基材料更是层出不穷.但在探索动物丝和丝蛋白基材料的过程中,动物丝纤维是经由蚕或蜘蛛等动物的纺器而纺制得到的简单事实往往被忽视;换言之,动物丝实际上是动物对丝蛋白进行体内“加工”后的产物,也是丝蛋白基材料中的一种.因此,天然动物丝中独特的各等级间构效关系与丝蛋白基材料的构效关系之间并不存在着必然的传承效应.本文着重介绍了我们在对动物丝和丝蛋白基材料探索中的经验和体会,即在强调以丝蛋白分子链结构与性能及其之间的关系为研究重点的基础上,从比较和发掘各种天然动物丝的特性入手,进而了解丝蛋白分子链在本体和溶液中的行为,并通过对动物丝蛋白分子链聚集态结构的调控,以达到设计制备一系列多形貌和多功能的动物丝蛋白基材料的目的.     

光交联自支撑丝素蛋白水凝胶的三维快速成型

将丝素蛋白(SF)光诱导自交联原理与挤出式三维(3D)打印相结合, 开发了光交联自支撑SF水凝胶的原位成型加工技术. 采用旋转流变仪、 光流变测试系统和改装的挤出式3D打印设备等对SF溶液的流变性能、 光交联性能和成型加工性能等进行研究. 结果表明, SF溶液主要表现为黏性特征, 结构强度和稳定性均较差. 利用SF的光诱导自交联特性, 以三联吡啶氯化钌[Ru(Ⅱ)]和过硫酸钾(KPS)为蓝光引发体系, 可实现SF水凝胶的快速光交联成型. SF光交联行为符合指数函数增长模型, 因“滤镜效应”, 当Ru(Ⅱ)的浓度为0.05 mmol/L时, SF具有最佳的光交联性能. 通过调节气压、 针头孔径、 移动速度及固化速率等参数, 采用3D打印设备可实现从单层几何结构到多层三维网络构型SF凝胶材料的高效、 精准构建, 为SF的生物3D打印提供了新思路.     

Dual-functional composite with anticoagulant and antibacterial properties based on heparinized silk fibroin and chitosan

Heparinized biomaterials exhibit great anticoagulant properties. However, they promote proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and therefore cause infection within the bloodstream upon implantation in vivo. In the present study, an interesting dual-functional composite with anticoagulant and antibacterial properties based on heparinized silk fibroin and chitosan was synthesized. First, heparin was grafted onto the silk fibroin by covalent immobilization with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). All data gathered from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental analysis (EA) indicated that the heparin was successfully immobilized onto the silk fibroin. The dual-functional composite of heparinized silk fibroin and chitosan was then fabricated by a blending method. The anticoagulant activity of the heparinized materials was evaluated using the prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time (TT). The results showed that both heparinized silk fibroin and the composite material exhibited better hemocompatibility in comparison with single silk fibroin or chitosan. The antibacterial property of the materials was investigated by the pour-plate method. Results further suggested that the composite antibacterial property with respect to S. aureus was significantly enhanced. The dual-functionality of the composite material may supply a potential choice in blood contact devices.     

Extensible and swellable hydrogel-forming microneedles for deep point-of-care sampling and drug deployment

Microneedles are considered to be an effective, convenient, non-invasive, biosafety and compliant medical technology for vaccinations, biomarker testing, medical aesthetics and other related fields. Nonetheless, further clinical and commercial translation of regular microneedles is hampered by challenges in manufacturability, cost variability, insufficient comfort, contamination and so on. Recent innovations in functional biomaterials and chemical engineering technologies have been applied to develop extensible and swellable hydrogel-forming microneedles, achieving precise and controlled drug delivery and localized sampling from the target tissues. In this review, we systematically summarize the latest development of the extensible and swellable hydrogel-forming microneedles, including deep point-of-care testing, drug deployment, wound healing and mucoadhesion improvement. In addition, further analysis of the challenges and prospects for clinical application of current strategies is well presented. It is believed that the combined efforts of engineering, material, pharmaceutical and clinical research will contribute to the future success of this clinical and commercial translation.     

蚕腺体内和再生丝素蛋白水溶液的性能研究

用偏光显微镜观察了蚕腺体内和再生丝素蛋白水溶液的流动状态和各向异性现象,用乌氏粘度计测试了其流出时间,并用HAKKE流变仪测试了其粘度。结果发现蚕腺体内和再生丝素蛋白水溶液的性质差别非常大,认为丝素蛋白水溶液在蚕腺体内存在一个逐步熟成的过程。随着丝素蛋白水溶液在腺体内的前移,丝素蛋白分子逐渐沿移动方向取向而呈有序态,最终成为粘度非常大的各向异性的凝胶体,而再生丝素蛋白水溶液是粘度非常低的各向同性溶液。这些差异表明,丝素蛋白水溶液在蚕腺体内的熟成过程是蚕能够吐出优良蚕丝的关键步骤,要想制备出高性能的纤维,在“仿生纺丝”之前,首先要“仿生制备纺丝液”。