Silk Fibroin: A Boon to Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Silks are naturally occurring polymers that have been used clinically as sutures for centuries. When naturally extruded from insects or worms, silk is composed of a filament core protein, termed fibroin. To date fibroin from Bombyxmori silk worm has been the dominant source for silk-based biomaterials studied. Silk fibroin (SF) is a naturally occurring protein polymer with several unique properties that make it a suitable material for incorporation into a variety of drug delivery vehicles capable of delivering a range of therapeutic agents. SF is biocompatible, slowly biodegradable, and endowed with excellent mechanical properties and process ability. So far, the main focus of SF drug delivery systems has been on tissue regeneration applications. For instance, growth factor loaded SF scaffolds were suggested for the tissue engineering of bone and cartilage, as well as for vascular and nerve regeneration devices and wound healing products. Moreover, SF matrices were proposed for oral, transmucosal and ocular drug delivery. SF matrices have been shown to successfully deliver anticancer drugs, small molecules, and biomolecules. This article will provide an in-depth discussion on the SF properties and pharmaceutical and drug delivery applications of Silk fibroin in nanoparticles.