Scientists create artificial spider silk that can heal wounds. This kind of silk produced by microorganisms is woven into a bandage and can effectively treat wounds in mice. The silk is strong and biocompatible and could be used for future medical purposes.

As shown here, scientists are creating artificial spider silk by spinning silk from an array of tiny hollow needles, similar to what arachnids do. Image source: Adapted from "ACSNano2024", DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c08557

It's time to decorate for Halloween again and the house is filled with spooky things like classic polyester spider webs. However, scientists publishing in ACSNano have created their own version of artificial spider silk - one made from protein that heals wounds rather than scaring guests. The synthetic silk was durable enough to be woven into bandages and successfully treated joint injuries and skin lesions in mice.

Spider silk is one of the strongest materials on Earth, technically stronger than steel for its size. However, this material is difficult to obtain, and spiders are too territorial and aggressive to reproduce in groups like silkworms, which has led scientists to resort to artificial methods.

Teaching microorganisms to produce spider silk proteins through genetic engineering is one option, but this has proven challenging because the proteins tend to stick together, reducing silk production. Therefore, Gao Bingbing and colleagues hope to modify the natural protein sequence and use microorganisms to design a spider silk that is easy to spin but still stable.

The team first used these microbes to produce silk proteins and added additional peptides. The new peptide follows a pattern found in the amyloid protein sequence and helps the rayon proteins form an ordered structure as they fold, preventing them from sticking together in solution and thus increasing yields.

The researchers then used an array of small hollow needles attached to the nozzle of a 3D printer to draw the protein solution into thin filaments in the air and spin them into thicker fibers. The device resembles a giant artificial spider spinning its web.

They then woven the rayon fibers into prototype wound dressings for use on mice with chronic wounds caused by osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, and diabetes. The team found that these modified dressings promoted wound healing better than traditional bandages.

Compared with the control group using neutral dressings, mice with osteoarthritis showed reduced swelling and tissue structure repair after 2 weeks of treatment, while diabetic mice with skin lesions had significant wound healing after 16 days of treatment with similar dressings. The researchers said that this new silk bandage is biocompatible and biodegradable and is expected to be used in the medical field in the future.

DOI:10.1021/acsnano.4c08557

Compiled from /ScitechDaily