Stimuli-Responsive and Self-Assembled Sericin Materials for Various Applications

Abstract

The silkworm cocoon's structural integrity is maintained by sericin, which acts as a sticky binding layer that envelops the fibroin fibers, effectively holding them together. In the silk industry, sericin is removed from the structure of fibroin during the degumming process in order to provide the silk's whiteness, softness, and smoothness and also to make it dyeable. Sericin, which is separated from the fibroin of the cocoon by the degumming process in the textile industry in the production of silk fabric, is discarded as waste material. This waste helps cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation in sericin-based materials, owing to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactivity features. Due to all these specific features, sericin protein is involved in the production of various biomaterials such as films, hydrogels, scaffolds, conduits, fibers, and devices used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.