Silk proteins have been studied and employed for the production of drug delivery (nano)systems. They show excellent biocompatibility, controllable biodegradability and non-immunogenicity and, if needed, their properties can be modulated by blending with other polymers. Silk fibroin (SF), which forms the inner core of silk, is a (bio)material officially recognized by the Food and Drug Administration for human applications. Conversely, the potential of silk sericin (SS), which forms the external shell of silk, could still be considered under evaluation. At the best of our knowledge, nanoparticles based on silk sericin “alone” cannot be produced, due to its physicochemical instability influenced by extreme pH, high water solubility and temperature; for these reasons, it almost always needs to be combined with other polymers for the development of drug delivery systems. In this review, we focused on silk proteins as bioactive natural carriers, since they show not only optimal features as inert excipients, but also remarkable intrinsic biological activities. SF has anti-inflammatory properties, while SS presents antioxidant, anti-tyrosine, anti-aging, anti-elastase and anti-bacterial features. Here, we give an overview on SF or SS silk-based nanosystems, with particular attention on the production techniques.

中文翻译：

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丝绸纳米颗粒：从惰性载体到用于药物递送的生物活性天然载体

蚕丝蛋白已被研究并用于生产药物递送（纳米）系统。它们显示出优异的生物相容性，可控的生物降解性和非免疫原性，并且，如果需要，可以通过与其他聚合物共混来调节其性能。丝素蛋白（SF）是丝绸的内芯，是美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）正式认可用于人类的一种（生物）材料。相反，仍可以考虑评估形成丝外壳的丝胶蛋白（SS）的潜力。据我们所知，由于“极限” pH值，高水溶性和温度会影响其物理化学的不稳定性，因此无法生产“仅”丝胶蛋白的纳米颗粒。由于这些原因，它几乎总是需要与其他聚合物结合才能开发出药物输送系统。在本综述中，我们将丝绸蛋白作为具有生物活性的天然载体，因为它们不仅显示出作为惰性赋形剂的最佳功能，而且还表现出显着的内在生物学活性。SF具有抗炎特性，而SS具有抗氧化剂，抗酪氨酸，抗衰老，抗弹性蛋白酶和抗菌功能。在这里，我们对基于SF或SS丝的纳米系统进行了概述，特别是对生产技术的关注。具有抗弹性和抗菌功能。在这里，我们对基于SF或SS丝的纳米系统进行了概述，特别是对生产技术的关注。具有抗弹性和抗菌功能。在这里，我们对基于SF或SS丝的纳米系统进行了概述，特别是对生产技术的关注。