Addition of pectin molecules strengthens silk biomaterials
Friday, April 25, 2014 - 09:01
in Biology & Nature
The human body has limited ability to self-repair damage to cartilage or bone. Implantable 'bioscaffold' materials that can be seeded with cells can potentially be used to regenerate these critical tissues. One such biomaterial under consideration is silk hydrogel—a nontoxic, natural substance produced by combining silk proteins with water to form an aqueous gel. Keiji Numata from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science and colleagues have now devised a way to reinforce silk-based bioscaffolds through the addition of pectin-based fibers.