Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Silk, a natural product, has been paid wide attention in medical field owing to a fact that silk’s mechanical property and biocompatibility are superior to traditional artificially synthesized degradable polymers.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of silk on the adsorption as well as cell morphology and function of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.
METHODS: Raw silk and trypsin-digested silk were ad libitum twisted into reticular fibrous cord with three-dimensional structure: mesh size 70-200 μm, thickness 200-300 μm, and porosity 20%. The three-dimensional scaffolds made of digested silk were placed in the 24-well plate. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes suspension (6×10¹⁰/L) was added to the culture plate, 3 drops comprising 1×10⁷ cells per well. Following 4-hour incubation in the air, when cells fully attached to the scaffold, they were thoroughly soaked with medium, which was renewed every other 2-3 days for a total of 1-4 weeks.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Inverted microscope results showed that silk scaffold/3T3-L1 preadipocytes compounds presented with slender prominences that stretched out and migrated ahead to gradually connect together through a head-to-end fusion fashion and enter into meshes. Scanning electron microscope results demonstrated that in the silk scaffold/3T3-L1 preadipocytes compounds, cells tightly attached to silk scaffold, appropriately spread out, and secreted matrix. Silk shows better absorption for 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and maintains the normal morphology and functions of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.