Abstract
The production of high-quality silkworm silk is of importance in sericulture in addition to the production of biomass, silk proteins, and animal feed. The distinctive properties of nanomaterials have the potential to improve the development of various sectors including medicine, cosmetics, and agriculture. The application of nanotechnology in sericulture not only improves the survival rate of the silkworm, promotes the growth and development of silkworm, but also improves the quality of silk fiber. Despite the positive contributions of nanomaterials, there are a few concerns regarding the safety of their application to the environment, in humans, and in experimental models. Some studies have shown that some nanomaterials exhibit toxicity to tissues and organs of the silkworm, while other nanomaterials exhibit therapeutic properties. This review summarizes some reports on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm and how the application of nanomaterials improves sericulture.
Highlights
Nanomaterials have unique optical, electronic, and photocatalytic properties which are applied in various fields of science, such as agriculture, cosmetic, food, medicine, and pharmaceutical sectors [1,2,3,4]
Despite the positive contributions of nanomaterials, which include the manufacturing of self-cleaning windows, sunscreen, and thickening agents [5,6], the safety regarding their application to the environment and in humans remains a major area of scrutiny
This is in line with the research report by Wu et al [168], who stated that silkworm silk containing Cu exhibited a good tensile strength of 360 MPa and a strain of 38%, which is 89% and 36% higher than the values of tensile strength and strain obtained for natural silk fiber, respectively
Summary
Nanomaterials have unique optical, electronic, and photocatalytic properties which are applied in various fields of science, such as agriculture, cosmetic, food, medicine, and pharmaceutical sectors [1,2,3,4]. Concentration levels above 50 μg/mL of graphene oxide caused a higher mortality rate, delayed the hatching rate, impaired movements, and delayed embryonic development when compared to oxidized carbon nano-horns It was reported that β-glucan, fucoidan, and curldan induced silkworm muscle contraction and induced innate immune responses [97] This proves that silkworms can be used as a model to study biological processes, including cell metabolism, gene regulation, and homeostasis [98]. The silkworm is an invertebrate organism that has a distant relationship with mammals [99], it cannot express or fully mimic the mammalian biological system This limits their application as a model organism to evaluate the efficacy of drugs in certain toxicology studies.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
