Abstract A microwave-assisted method was developed for extraction of water-soluble fibroin from silkworm silk. In order to explore enhancing effect of microwave, dissolution profiles of silk fibroin were monitored by protein concentration measurements, showing a faster extraction rate of the microwave-assisted method compared to the conventional methods. Meanwhile, characterization of the resultant silk fibroin regenerated by the microwave-assisted method indicated similarity to that by the conventional methods in that they exhibited similar molecular weight ranges, secondary structures and gelation capabilities. In contrast to traditional microwave-assisted methods, this study employed a laboratory microwave reactor equipped with a feedback temperature control system, which enabled easy control and maintenance of certain reaction temperature and temperature distribution. In this way, the present study, to an extent, resolved possible concerns that uncontrollable extreme high temperature under microwave would cause degradation of the silk fibroin chain. This new microwave-assisted method has demonstrated its advantages of significant reduction in time-consuming and energy cost, and thus stands for a promising economical and efficient method for regeneration of silkworm silk fibroin.

中文翻译：

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微波辅助快速高效溶解蚕丝构建丝素基生物材料

摘要 建立了一种从蚕丝中提取水溶性丝心蛋白的微波辅助方法。为了探索微波的增强作用，通过蛋白质浓度测量监测丝素蛋白的溶出曲线，表明与传统方法相比，微波辅助方法的提取速率更快。同时，通过微波辅助方法再生的所得丝素蛋白的表征表明与常规方法的相似之处在于它们表现出相似的分子量范围、二级结构和凝胶化能力。与传统的微波辅助方法相比，本研究采用了配备反馈温度控制系统的实验室微波反应器，从而可以轻松控制和维护某些反应温度和温度分布。通过这种方式，本研究在一定程度上解决了微波下不可控的极端高温会导致丝素蛋白链降解的可能担忧。这种新的微波辅助方法具有显着降低耗时和能源成本的优势，是一种很有前景的经济高效的蚕丝素再生方法。