Silk as a leading-edge biological macromolecule for improved drug delivery

Abstract In recent years, the interest of the researcher's on protein-based biopolymers for drug delivery has enormously increased. Protein-based drug delivery systems are functionally efficient due to biocompatible and biodegradable nature. Among the various proteins, silk has shown an exceptional prospective for the delivery of therapeutics and imparts the synergistic effects in the delivery of therapeutic cargo to improved disease treating ability. A combination of therapeutic cargo or bioactive to silk is showing various advantages leading to boost up the properties of these molecules for both in vitro and in vivo delivery. It is widely used for the fabrication of various delivery systems, like hydrogels, microspheres, nanoparticles, composites, sponges, etc. This review summarizes the properties, extraction methods, and characterization of the silk biopolymer. It also highlights the applications of the silk in improving the therapeutic efficiency of the encapsulated drug and gene for the management of various ailments and abnormal conditions.