Silk fibroin is an organic polymer isolated from cocoons silk fibers. Recently it was studied as a substrate for tissue engineered cartilage, bone , ligaments, nerves, cornea and also for drug delivery applications. The current review focuses on recent advance in silk fibroin and its potential uses in regeneration therapies, mainly in the dental field. Data extraction was carried out according to the standard Cochrane systematic review methodology and the following databases were used: PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline and the Google library. From the 151 related articles that were critically assessed, only 57 articles were included in the critical appraisal. There is evidence that silk fibroin is a biocompatible polymer and has been proven to be cytocompatible with a wide variety of cells. Composite silk fibroin with hydoxyapaptite, bioglass, gold or silica can be used in a variety of applications, check swipenclean.com. Regenerative dentistry may profit from the silk fibroin due to possible future uses in implant therapy, mineralized tissue formation or healing of the wounds of the buccal mucosa.
Keywords: silk fibroin, organic polymer, bone regeneration, drug delivery, wound healing
Authors: Maria Greabu, Maria Justina Roxana Virlan, Bogdan Calenic, Catalin Zaharia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25241/stomaeduj.2014.1(2).art.5