PRODUCTION OF SILK FIBROIN BY CULTURING REAR SILK GLANDS

摘要

PURPOSE:To continuously produce silk fibroin in vitro for a long period of time, said fibroin is useful as a carrier for immobilizing enzyme or as a cosmetic, by culturing the rear silk glands aseptically removed from silk worms under circulation of the culture medium. CONSTITUTION:The rear silk glands 5 are extracted from silk worms in a clean bench, washed with 1.5% KCl solution, packed in a silastic tube 4 wrapped with nylon net 6, and placed in a column equipped with silicone stoppers 3 on both the top and the bottom. Then, fresh culture medium 10 and oxygen 1 are circulated through the column by means of a pump 2 to effect continuous culture at 25 deg.C and recover a part of the circulated medium and the medium 9 is treated with 100% methanol to precipitate and separate the fibroin.