Tussah Silk Fibroin Excels Silk Fibroin from the Domesticated Silkworm in Supporting the Development of Neurons

摘要

Artificial prostheses that are made of biomate-rials hold great promise in nerve tissue engineering for the regeneration of nervous system after injury. Silk fibroin, a fibrous protein from the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, has been studied extensively for its biocompatibility with a variety of cells. However, little is known about the tussah silk fibroin (TSF), a type of wild silks that, compared with Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF), is characterized by more Ala, Asp and Arg contents, and less Gly, and the presence of tripeptide sequence Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), and the interactions between SF, TSF and nerve cells. In this study we analyzed the growth and development of neurons on films or electrospun non-woven nanofibers of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) and TSF. Neurons were derived in a low-density primary cultures of cells purified from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of newborn rat brain. The numbers of primary dendrites and branches as well as dendritic length of neurons on silk fibroin materials were measured. Results showed that TSF silk fibroin nanofiber is the most favorable silk fibroin material for supporting the attachment and growth of neurons and that TSF is more compatible for the development of neurons than SF, suggesting a potential use of TSF for preparing the tissue-engineered nerve guides to treat nerve injuries or diseases.