Silk-Based Hydrogels in Drug Delivery

Silk is a typical example of a natural polymer, and because of its distinct physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics, it is an idealistic biocompatible material for use in regenerative medicine and drug delivery applications. A natural composite fiber called silk is primarily made of hydrophilic sericin and hydrophobic fibroin. In the textile industry, sericin and fibroin are largely removed and generally discarded. On account of its bio inertness, immune compatibility, and biodegradability, it has been recognized as a potential biomaterial. In addition, silk fibroin, a fibrous protein with a semi-crystalline structure that offers stiffness and potency, where sericin can produce hydrogels. Silk protein hydrogels have some limitations, but those limitations have been able to be overcome with the development of functional silk protein hydrogels. Many researchers from around the globe have become interested in the silk protein hydrogels’ functional design and potential uses in recent years. To produce silk based hydrogels for use in a multitude of drug delivery systems, silk proteins are typically combined with natural or synthetic polymers. Silk protein hydrogels have shown promise in overcoming the constraints of conventional polymer hydrogels. A significant amount of effort has gone into controlling the traits of the silk protein hydrogel and incorporating novel topographical and functional characteristics. 268 This chapter begins by briefly discussing the effects of combining functional hydrogel with silk-based protein in different drug delivery systems.