Silk Fibroin-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

作者：Zheng Zhao, Yi Li, Maobin Xie · 发表于：International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 年份：2015 · DOI：10.3390/ijms16034880 · 被引用次数：334 · 研究领域：Silk-based biomaterials and applications、Bone Tissue Engineering Materials、Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

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.