Lowering blood sugar and cholesterol

According to the function of amino acids, glycine and serine can lower the cholesterol content in blood and excrete harmful substances in human body, which has detoxification effect. The silk fibroin hydrochloride hydrolysate was tested on 5-week-old experimental male rats.

The results showed that the addition of silk fibroin hydrolysate could lower the cholesterol level in the experimental male rats, and the content of these two amino acids in silk fibroin was also as high as 17.9. % and 25.5%, it can be speculated that silk protein skin and its hydrolyzate also have the same effect. Silk fibroin is also a main component of hypoglycemic drugs.

The silkworm pupa shell is separately immersed in water and decocted, and then combined with scutellaria, succulent, huangjing, salvia, and simmered boiled liquid, concentrated and added with ethanol to precipitate. A variety of pharmaceutical dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, oral liquids, injections and the like are developed. After 1 month of perfusion in mice with tetraoxygen steepness, the high-dose group containing silk fibroin significantly reduced the blood glucose level of model animals.

Anticoagulant and anti-AIDS activity

Another anticoagulant can be developed by subjecting silk fibroin or silk fibroin to sulfation. Adding concentrated sulfuric acid to silk fibroin or silk protein solution in an amount of 0.5 times to 500 times the amount of silk protein or silk protein, and stirring and sulfating at a temperature of 20℃ to 100℃ for several tens of minutes to several hours to obtain. The sulfated silk fibroin or silk fibroin product is filtered, washed, dissolved in water, dialyzed, freeze-dried, and finally obtained water-soluble sulfated silk fibroin or silk fibroin powder.

After anti-blood coagulation activity test, it is found to be like heparin. Similarly, it has anticoagulant activity, whereas unsulfated silk fibroin or silk fibroin does not have this anticoagulant activity.

Therefore, sulfated silk fibroin or silk fibroin can replace heparin, which has the characteristics of low price, high production efficiency and high safety. It has a wide range of medical uses such as artificial dialysis for uremic patients or anticoagulant in blood during cardiopulmonary bypass. Anticoagulation treatment on the surface of medical materials in contact with blood during examination or treatment.

Not long ago, the researchers conducted an anti-HIV activity evaluation test on this sulfated silk fibroin anticoagulant and found that it can prevent the virus from binding to the surface proteins of immune cells. It is said that this new anticoagulant substance will be used to make toothpaste and shaving cream to prevent AIDS.

Skin anti-inflammatory effect of silk protein

Water-soluble silk fibroin and its hydrolysate have obvious curative effects on certain skin diseases. The silk protein solution obtained by degumming, filtering and dialysis is concentrated and aseptically processed. A coating test was performed on patients who had contact dermatitis for 3 years and A flat dermatitis for 5 years. After washing the affected parts, 0.5% silk fibroin solution was applied to the affected area to observe changes in the skin. After 20 days, most of the symptoms of contact dermatitis were alleviated. After nearly two months, the symptoms basically disappeared.

Thus, silk protein is also a good anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of certain skin diseases. When silk fibroin protein is mixed with yeast extract obtained by enzyme or acid hydrolysis, it can also be a new external cream for skin. This topical cream can also promote the collagen production of dermal fibroblasts, effectively preventing or slowing down various skin conditions such as skin wrinkling aging, decreased elasticity, roughness, blackening, and relaxation. In addition, silk fibroin is mixed with lignosan, ultraviolet absorber, thickener mucopolysaccharide and shuttle-based ethylene polymer or its derivative to make another topical ointment.

Prevention of tumor effects by silk fibroin

Japanese researchers used silk fibroin to feed rats. Foods with silk protein(a content of 1.5% or 3%) were added for 5 weeks, and dimethylhydrazine (1,2 methylhydrazine, DMH) was injected once a week for the first 3 weeks, and abnormal recessive lesions in the colon of the mouse were found. Development is gradually inhibited by the increase in the amount of silk protein added. Foods with silk protein (a content of 3%) were added for 115 days, and dimethylhydrazine was injected once a week for the first 10 weeks. The incidence and number of colon cancers were significantly inhibited. This indicates that silk protein is expected to be developed as a chemo preventive agent for colon cancer. The process demonstrated that low-digestibility buck-wheat protein has anti-constipation, anti-obesity and anti-tumor effects, it is believed that silk protein with strong water retention and oxidation resistance has similar effects with buckwheat protein. A similar property – resistant to the decomposition of multiple enzymes. Therefore, it is believed that a low-digestibility protein such as silk protein and buckwheat protein, a resistant protein, as an additive to food, will help improve the physiological function of intestine and enhance human body health. Researchers used various membranes from silk fibroin, silk fibroin and a mixture of the two to detect the adhesion of membranes to cells and the proliferation rate of fibroblasts. The membranes from silk fibroin and silk fibroin all showed good adhesion and proliferation, and the performance was basically the same as that of the commonly used mammalian cell culture medium-collagen. However, silk fibroin has a certain influence on the shape of proliferating cells and needs further improvement. Scientists used a hydrogel film prepared by mixing an aqueous solution of silk fibroin (5%) with an aqueous solution of poly-(vinyl alcohol, PVA), which has excellent properties, solubility, tensile mechanical properties and oxygen permeability which meet the requirements of medical materials.