Silk Fibroin-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Zheng Zhao²  Yi Li¹  Mao-Bin Xie¹ 

[1] Institute of Textiles and Clothing, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China; E-Mail:;State Key Lab of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China; E-Mail:

关键词: silk fibroin;    nanoparticles;    preparation methods;    drug delivery;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms16034880

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Silk fibroin (SF) is a protein-based biomacromolecule with excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity. The development of SF-based nanoparticles for drug delivery have received considerable attention due to high binding capacity for various drugs, controlled drug release properties and mild preparation conditions. By adjusting the particle size, the chemical structure and properties, the modified or recombinant SF-based nanoparticles can be designed to improve the therapeutic efficiency of drugs encapsulated into these nanoparticles. Therefore, they can be used to deliver small molecule drugs (e.g., anti-cancer drugs), protein and growth factor drugs, gene drugs, etc. This paper reviews recent progress on SF-based nanoparticles, including chemical structure, properties, and preparation methods. In addition, the applications of SF-based nanoparticles as carriers for therapeutic drugs are also reviewed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.