Bioinspired Materials Science and Engineering

10Silk Proteins: A Natural Resource for Biomaterials

Lallepak Lamboni¹, Tiatou Souho^1,2, Amarachi Rosemary Osi³, and Guang Yang^1,*

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

² University of Kara, Kara, Togo

³ Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, China

10.1 Introduction

With the advent of tissue engineering, advances in biomedical research are aiming at the development of accurate therapeutic measures, requiring the use of functional materials that can influence biological systems [1]. Increasing progress has been made in the use of biomaterials that potentially not only can repair or replace damaged tissues, but also can serve as implantable supports that induce or accelerate tissue regeneration [2]. In fact, the aim is to generate or stimulate the formation of a defined tissue in a certain location through selection and manipulation of cells, matrices, and biological stimuli [3, 4]. In this context, the choice of biomaterials in biodevices is critical, because they must imitate the architecture of the natural tissue and consider the molecular, structural, and biological compatibility in order to facilitate tissue development [2, 5]. So far, various materials fabricated from natural or synthetic polymers have been tested for tissue engineering purposes. Despite their valuable tailorability in terms of physico‐chemical properties, ...