Recombinant spider silk proteins for application in inguinal hernia repair

Abstract

Hernias are common diseases in general surgery practice. Tension-free hernia repair uses the prosthesis to strengthen the posterior wall of the inguinal canal. The advantage of this method is that it overcomes the anatomical damage by traditional surgery, and the repaired tissue is low tension or tension-free. However, finding an ideal material is the goal of all hernia surgeons for many years. The ideal mesh should have: no biological activity and antigenicity; low immunogenicity; high stability; good mechanical properties; good histocompatibility; anti-adhesion, anti-infection, and pain relief. Silkworm silk has high quality and wide range of production sources, it has been widely used in various fields, including biomedical science, such as tissue repair in sports injuries, pharmaceutical development. Some characteristics of spider silk are similar to silkworm silk, but with more advantages in function than silk. Therefore, this paper mainly introduces spider silk and its application in medicine, especially as the hernia mesh repair materials. Key words: Hernia; Spider silk protein; Histocompatibility; Biomaterials