A sterile self-assembled sericin hydrogel via a simple two-step process

Abstract

In materials science and engineering, designed and well-ordered self-assembled hydrogel with excellent biocompatibility and nontoxic properties is an inviting issue. In this study, a novel self-assembled sericin hydrogel was prepared by a simple-two-step process containing milling and high temperature and high pressure. It is worthwhile pointing out that the sericin with high extraction rate (95%) for fabricating sericin hydrogel was isolated from fibroin-deficient mutant silk cocoons. The hydrogel was formed under a mild condition without introducing any other toxic or harmful substances and its gelling time could be controlled by sericin concentration, temperature or pH values. Moreover, as long as the sericin solution is kept in a bioclean circumstance, the sterile sericin hydrogel can be achieved and no need to sterilize. Furthermore, this hydrogel possesses high porosity, degradation. In addition, the hydrogel system is suitable as a carrier of cells or bioactive molecules contribute from its excellent cell-adhesive capability, effectively promoting cell attachment, proliferation, and a sustained manner for drug release. In summary, our study indicates that the self-assembly sericin hydrogel could be promising candidates in soft tissue engineering applications.