Table 1.
Silk fibroin scaffold groups information for in vivo module.
Figure 1.
Schematic representation of fabrication of 3D scaffolds of B. mori and A. mylitta.
Cut pieces of B. mori silk cocoons were alkaline hydrolyzed, degummed fibers dissolved and dialyzed to yield silk fibroin solution. The mature 5th instar larvae of A. mylitta were dissected to isolate silk glands and dialyzed to obtain gland silk fibroin solutions. The solutions were used to fabricate 3D scaffolds.
Figure 2.
Scanning electron micrographs revealing the pore micro-architectures and interconnectivity within 3D silk fibroin scaffolds.
(A) B. mori; (B) A. mylitta.
Figure 3.
Confocal images of hBMSCs seeded on 3D silk fibroin scaffolds and cultured in chondroinductive and osteoinductive media.
Non-mulberry A. mylitta silk constructs: (A) 4 weeks after chondrogenic culture and (C) 8 weeks after osteogenic culture. Mulberry B. mori silk constructs: (B) 4 weeks after chondrogenic culture; (D) 8 weeks after osteogenic culture condition. Yellow arrows indicate attachment of viable cells onto all available areas of the scaffold. Scale bars represent 300 µm.
Figure 4.
Histological appearance of constructs following in vitro culture.
Constructs cultured in chondrogenic media for 4 weeks: (A) Non-mulberry Am scaffolds; (B) Mulberry Bm scaffolds. Constructs treated with osteogenic media for 8 weeks: (C) Non-mulberry Am scaffolds; (D) Mulberry Bm scaffolds. Scale bars represent 80 µm.
Figure 5.
Repair of osteochondral defect in rat patella-femoral groove.
(A) 1.8 mm wide and 1 mm deep osteochondral defects created using a trephine burr. (B) The multi-layered silk fibroin based scaffold with/without growth factors was prepared using 3 scaffold discs by stacking one on top of each other. (C) Scaffolds were implanted to fill the osteochondral defect. (D) After 8 weeks in vivo, the appearance of the repair of osteochondral defect and the interface with surrounding normal cartilage (arrow). Scale bars represented 2 mm.
Figure 6.
Histological and immunohistochemical appearance of osteochondral defects filled with mulberry silk scaffold (Bm) without growth factors in vivo.
(A) AB/SR staining; (B) Birefringence of AB/SR section; (C) immunostaining with type I collagen and (D) immunostaining with type II collagen. Black asterisks denote the scaffold within the defects. Scale bars represented 50 µm.
Figure 7.
Histological and immunohistochemical appearance of osteochondral defect filled with non-mulberry silk scaffolds (Am) without growth factors in vivo.
(A) AB/SR staining; (B) Birefringence of AB/SR section; (C) immunostaining with type I collagen and (D) immunostaining with type II collagen. Black asterisks denote the scaffold within the defects. Scale bars represented 50 µm.
Figure 8.
Histological and immunohistochemical appearance of osteochondral defect filled with mulberry silk scaffolds (Bm) treated with growth factors in vivo.
(A) AB/SR staining; (B) Birefringence of AB/SR section; (C) immunostaining with type I collagen and (D) immunostaining with type II collagen. Black asterisks denote the scaffold within the defects. Scale bars represented 50 µm.
Figure 9.
Histological and immunohistochemical appearance of osteochondral defect filled with non-mulberry silk scaffolds (Am) treated with growth factors in vivo.
(A) AB/SR staining; (B) Birefringence of AB/SR section; (C) immunostaining with type I collagen and (D) immunostaining with type II collagen. Black asterisks denote the scaffold within the defects. Scale bars represented 50 µm.