Functionalized Silk-Based Protein in Drug Delivery and Gene Delivery

Silk is a naturally occurring polymer with unique physicochemical and mechanical proper- ties, making it a viable biomaterial for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Silk proteins have lately been used in a variety of various biomaterials. The processing of silk- based biomaterials into a variety of morphologies, such as films, nanofibers, microspheres, nanoparticles (NPs), hydrogels, or different micro-/nano devices, has boosted their potential for potential biomedical applications. A variety of silk proteins are used for drugs delivery. Recombinant silk proteins, sericin, fibroin, and other substances are among them. Because of its biocompatibility, controllable breakdown, and changeable drug release properties, the protein fibroin, which is present in silk, is commonly used to make drug delivery systems. Drugs can be entrapped and stabilized using silk fibroin-based drug delivery systems, as well as biological compounds such as proteins and DNA, to extend their shelf lives and control the release to lengthen their time in the bloodstream and, consequently, the duration of effect. Due to their inherent chemical and physical characteristics and the simplicity of engineering made possible by recombinant DNA technology, silk proteins and silk-elastin-like proteins offer a distinct set of options for building drug delivery systems. The characteristics of silk protein material will be covered in this chapter, along with a summary of recent developments in silk protein-based drug and gene delivery systems; the conjugation of the silk protein to additional biomolecules or polymers for tissue-specific drug delivery; and the most recent developments in functionalized silk protein for drug and gene delivery systems.