Abstract

Silk fibroin protein from the silkworm Bombyx mori (B. mori) is a natural biopolymer that has extensive structural capabilities for chemical and mechanical modifications for applications in the biomedical field. The SF is versatile in its processing since it can be manufactured into different forms such as gels, films, foams, membranes, scaffolds, and nanofibers; making it an attractive material in a variety of applications that require mechanically superior, biocompatible, and biodegradable biomaterials. In this review, we present an overview of the main chemical and structural features that make silk fibroin a potential biomaterial for its wide application in tissue engineering. We discuss and summarize about different structural designs and methods for the assembly of fibroin-based 3D scaffolds emphasizing the biomedical applications of this biomaterial. Finally, we highlight the most current works in which 3D scaffolds of fibroin are used for cartilage and osteochondral tissue regeneration.

Keywords: Cartilage tissue engineering; Osteochondral tissue; Regenerative medicine; Scaffold; Silk fibroin