Fabrication of nanofibrous silkworm gland three-dimensional scaffold containing micro/nanoscale pores and study of its effects on adipose tissue-derived stem cell growth

An ideal tissue engineering scaffold requires a structure similar to that of the natural extracellular matrix. The structure of a scaffold is the most important parameter for determining the behavior and functions of cells. Therefore, the importance of designing a suitable scaffold has been greatly emphasized. Electrospinning has been extensively used to fabricate scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, we developed a nanofibrous scaffold made from silkworm gland (SG), which contains the silk protein fibroin and other proteins that have functions including antigenotoxicity and the promotion of cell growth. To investigate the physical and biological functions of SG nanofibrous (SGN) scaffold, we fabricated silk fibroin nanofibrous (SFN) scaffold as a control lacking the SG functional proteins. Field emission scanning electron microscope images revealed that the SGN three-dimensional scaffold had a homogenous pore distribution with a high porosity and interconnected pore walls. In biological tests, the SGN scaffold supported excellent cell viability and had a stronger antioxidant property compared to the SFN scaffold. In addition, the SGN scaffold efficiently supported the growth of adipose tissue-derived stem cells and their osteogenic and fibrocartilage differentiation. Therefore, this novel SGN three-dimensional scaffold shows high promise for use in tissue engineering.