Biocompatibility perspective of silk-derived matrices for tissue regeneration

The concept of biocompatibility has evolved in the same direction and its essence has become application-dependent (1). Today, biomaterials and scaffolds are designed to be biologically interactive and to establish a reciprocal dialogue with cells to contribute to the repair process. However, it has become evident that biological reactions induced by a material can be adverse or beneficial according to its application (1). Thus, the concept of biocompatibility has been enriched with a more complex meaning, resulting in a strong relationship between a biomaterial and its purpose (2). Silk fibroin has gained in the last years increasing interest as material for the fabrication of scaffolds for tissue engineering (3,4). An ample literature has demonstrated, in fact, that fibroin is able to establish a direct cross-talk with the biological environment, so to promote cells adhesion, proliferation and metabolic activity forward the production both in vitro and in vivo of complex multifunctional tissues. After reviewing the main characteristics and applications of silk fibroin, the lecture wills focused on the effect of processing on fibroin physical and biological properties (5), and addresses two particularly demanding tissue regeneration applications.