Silk based bio-inks for medical applications

Abstract

The manufacturing of tissue engineering scaffolds, which have an incredibly complicated structure, is made possible by 3D printing processes which are heeded as a crucial scientific evolutionism for the customized biomedical field. A mixture of materials and biological molecules or cells used in bioprinting called bio-ink, which are highly hydrated polymeric networks, majorly hydrogels, can imitate the extracellular matrix naturally found in living organisms to encapsulate cells uniformly and can be categorized into organic and artificial polymers. The fabrication of intricate structures with adjustable mechanical properties (Ultimate strength = approx. 300–740 MPa, Young’s modulus = approx. 10–17 GPa), degradation rates, and cytocompatibility is possible with silk fibroin's excellent qualities and adaptability for bio-inks. The review introduces a crucial and critical understanding of silk-based bio-inks in the engineering of cartilage, bone, and skin tissue. The challenges concerning the printability and potential future of silk-based bio-inks in the biomedical field are also covered in this review.