Revisão Acesso aberto Revisado por pares

Silk Sericin: A Promising Sustainable Biomaterial for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications

2022; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 14; Issue: 22 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/polym14224931

ISSN

2073-4360

Autores

Andreia S. Silva, Elisabete C. Costa, Sara Reis, Carina Spencer, Ricardo C. Calhelha, Sónia P. Miguel, Maximiano P. Ribeiro, Lillian Barros, Josiana A. Vaz, Paula Coutinho,

Tópico(s)

Protein Hydrolysis and Bioactive Peptides

Resumo

Silk is a natural composite fiber composed mainly of hydrophobic fibroin and hydrophilic sericin, produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori. In the textile industry, the cocoons of B. mori are processed into silk fabric, where the sericin is substantially removed and usually discarded in wastewater. This wastewater pollutes the environment and water sources. However, sericin has been recognized as a potential biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, immunocompatibility, biodegradability, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant and photoprotective properties. Moreover, sericin can produce hydrogels, films, sponges, foams, dressings, particles, fibers, etc., for various biomedical and pharmaceutical applications (e.g., tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, cosmetics). Given the severe environmental pollution caused by the disposal of sericin and its beneficial properties, there has been growing interest in upcycling this biomaterial, which could have a strong and positive economic, social and environmental impact.

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