International journal of biological macromoleculesNov 17, 2019

Natural composite scaffolds made from silk protein, gelatin, and chitosan for tissue engineering

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 8, 2026

Abstract

Composite scaffolds exhibited pore sizes ranging from 125 μm to 175 μm, promoting cell growth.

Silk fibroin, chitosan, and gelatin are biocompatible and biodegradable materials that mimic natural extracellular matrix properties.
The incorporation of chitosan and gelatin into silk fibroin scaffolds enhanced water absorption and degradation rates.
Silk fibroin positively influenced degradation and mechanical strength in composite scaffolds, while the addition of chitosan and gelatin had the opposite effect.
Biocompatibility was confirmed through cell growth and adhesion in tests using endothelial cells.

Simplified

Natupolymer-based scaffolds can increase cell affinity to biomaterials and improve cell responses. Silk fibroin, chitosan and gelatin that mimic the properties of natural extra-cellular matrix (ECM) were chosen due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and less immunogenic reactions. We prepared composite scaffolds with different blending ratios of silk fibroin-chitosan-gelatin by freeze-drying technique. Silk fibroin was extracted from the Bombyx mori silkworm. The scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface wettability, swelling measurements, In Vitro enzymatic degradation measurements and tensile test. The composite scaffolds showed pore sizes from 125 μm to 175 μm, good interconnectivity between pores and suitable porosity which are desirable for cell growth. The addition of chitosan-gelatin to silk fibroin increased water uptake and degradation rate and reduced mechanical strength but silk fibroin affect reversely on the degradation and mechanical strength of composite scaffolds. Biocompatibility of scaffolds was demonstrated by MTT-assay and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining which lead to the growth and adhesion of endothelial cells. In this study, the fabricated composite scaffolds have the potential for tissue engineering applications.

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Natural composite scaffolds made from silk protein, gelatin, and chitosan for tissue engineering

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