Engineering conformational transitions in silk fibroin hydrogels to create advanced dynamic microenvironments for biomedical applications.

Xiang Yao, Xueqian Xu, Guolong Cai, Weikun Zhao, Wanqin Yao, Suna Fan, Qianqian Niu, Yaopeng Zhang

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Regenerative biomaterials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xiang YaoState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0152-9550

Xueqian XuState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Guolong CaiState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Weikun ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Wanqin YaoState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Suna FanState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Qianqian NiuState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Yaopeng ZhangState Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Nano-Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7175-6150

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Among varied silk fibroin (SF) materials, chemically crosslinked SF hydrogels (SFHs) showed excellent biocompatibility and ECM-mimetic property, thus being widely used in biomedical applications. Intriguingly, recent studies have uncovered a unique dynamic material cue in SFHs-the protein conformational transition microenvironment. This microenvironment induces a dynamic material stiffening/shrinkage process and further significantly regulates cell behaviors, thus presenting another promising dynamic material cue for biomedical applications. Very recently, to enhance the controllability of this microenvironment and elucidate how conformational transition rates influence cell behaviors, novel strategies for regulating the transitions have been developed, leading to deeper insights into the corresponding cell-microenvironment interactions. Focused on this dynamic microenvironment, we seek to comprehensively describe the intrinsic mechanism of the transitions, the dynamic material features induced by the transition and corresponding characterization methods. It also highlights recent findings and advances in the effective regulation strategies, as well as their promising biomedical applications. Finally, current challenges and future prospects regarding the engineering of this unique microenvironment and its potential applications are comprehensively discussed. This review aims to effectively expand the knowledge of dynamic material cues and the related cell-material interactions and also offers valuable insights for the development of unique SF and other protein-based biomaterials.

Indexed as

cartilage tissue engineeringcell-material interactiondynamic material microenvironmentprotein conformational transitionsilk fibroin hydrogel

Identifiers

PMID42293355

DOI10.1093/rb/rbag089

PMCPMC13257866

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.