Noncovalent Sericin-Chitosan Scaffold: Physical Properties and Low Cytotoxicity Effect.

Rungsima Chollakup,Arkadiusz Chworos,Wirasak Smitthipong,Pimporn Uttayarat

doi:10.3390/ijms21030775

Abstract

This research aims to utilize sericin, which is the waste from boiling silk cocoon, for the supramolecular scaffold preparation with chitosan. A suitable method for the self-assembled scaffold formation of sericin and chitosan at 1:1 stoichiometry is presented and the morphological and physical properties of the scaffold are studied. The effect of an alcohol/NaOH solution on the secondary structure of sericin protein within the sericin-chitosan scaffold, with adjusted pH, was investigated. Additionally, the scaffold was tested in a native phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The results show that sericin increases the porosity of scaffold while chitosan increases the rigidity. The self-assembled sericin and chitosan material is nontoxic to human cells and which can adhere and spread well on such support. For the effect of the molecular weight of chitosan (15,000 and 100,000 g/mol), the scaffold made from lower molecular weight (MW) chitosan provides a somewhat smaller porosity, but a similar swelling ratio and water uptake. On the basis of this research, sericin, which is a silk waste from the textile industry, can be utilized to produce a self-assembled scaffold with chitosan in order to increase the porosity of the scaffold. This type of scaffold is not toxic and can be used for the adhesion of fibroblast cells.

Highlights

New materials have been developed in interdisciplinary fields such as chemistry, biology, biochemistry, etc. [1,2,3,4]
The results show that sericin increases the porosity of scaffold while chitosan increases the rigidity
The appropriated method for forming the self-assembled scaffold between sericin and chitosan at 1:1 stoichiometry was treated with a 1:1 (v/v) methanol/NaOH solution to change the secondary structure of protein sericin and adjust pH to neutral

Summary

Introduction

New materials have been developed in interdisciplinary fields such as chemistry, biology, biochemistry, etc. [1,2,3,4]. Sericin-polyvinyl alcohol scaffold has been used for fibroblast cell culturing [5,6,7]. Other polymers have been used on vascular tissue, joints and bones, or mixed with polyacrylamide to make a wound material [8] or the formation of porous skeletons of silk proteins, fibroblasts, and collagen for use as artificial cartilage [9]. Such natural polymers should not be toxic towards human cells [7,8,9]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion