Silk: A Promising Biomaterial Opening New Vistas Towards Affordable Healthcare Solutions

Abstract

Substantial progress in biomaterial research over the years has culminated in revolutionary technological advancements in the healthcare domain. This has triggered the quest for affordable healthcare solutions with focus on sustainable biomaterials with versatile applications endowed with green fabrication strategies. Silk as a biopolymer has garnered special attention which can largely be attributed to the excellent material properties of silk in addition to its affordability and resource ability. Silk fibroin from various silkworm and spider species and sericin from various silkworm species have been researched for their potential applications in the healthcare industry such as tissue-engineered grafts, cancer therapeutics, high-throughput tissue-on-chip models, food preservatives, biomedical imaging, biosensing, biomedical textiles, implants, cosmetics and bioremediation products. The present review mainly focusses on the various sources of silk fibroin and its relevant properties that have been conferred to it by nature. Moreover, recent developments, progress and prevalent modalities of healthcare industry that involve the application of silk fibroin and sericin have been outlined in the present review.