Bombyx mori (B. mori) silk fibroin blend scaffold as biomaterial for corneal epithelial cell

Abstract

Bombyx mori (B. mori) silk fibroin (SF) is a fibrous protein that can be readily isolated from the domesticated silkworm cocoons. It has received considerable attention over the last decades as a three-dimensional (3D) biomaterial due to its outstanding mechanical performance, tunable degradability, fabrication versatility, and biocompatibility. Here, the blending of Bombyx mori (B. mori) SF and collagen (C) was fabricated as scaffolds using a freeze-drying technique. The effects of collagen concentration (1 and 2 %w/w) on physical properties and cell proliferation were observed. The prepared scaffolds were sponge-like structure with highly interconnected pores. Average pore size of these scaffolds ranged from 124-197 μm. The in vitro cell viability and proliferation of human corneal cell were determined by MTT assay. The scaffolds prepared from SF blend with 2% of collagen (SF/2%C) exhibited higher cell proliferation than the SF/1%C scaffold. Cell morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM micrographs illustrated higher cell density in the SF/2%C scaffolds than that in the SF/1%C scaffolds. These results suggested that the blended SF scaffold with a high concentration of collagen showed a high potential for biomaterial application.