Radiologic and histologic characterization of silk fibroin as scaffold coating for rabbit tracheal defect repair.

Abstract

To explore the feasibility of silk fibroin as a biomaterial coating used in tracheal defect reconstruction. Silk fibroin was subcutaneously embedded in three rabbits and as an artificial implant material coating to reconstruct 12 rabbits' tracheal defects. The postoperative radiologic and histologic characterization was summarized. The thickness of the fibroblasts layer covering the porus and nonporus silk fibroin film was 240.4 +/- 9.9 and 302.3 +/- 10.5 microm, respectively, and there was no statistical difference (P > 0.05) within each group. There was no foreign-body granuloma or macrophagocyte infiltration around the silk film. The tracheal reconstruction study showed a normal mucous membrane with normal cilial growth on the artificial implant and no visible granulation tissue in the reconstructed tracheal cavity. Silk fibroin is a potential new biomaterial coating for tracheal defect reconstruction. The mechanism of silk fibroin appears to promote tracheal mucous membrane, which may be related to its molecular structure and biology.