Silk Protein-Based Membrane for Guided Bone Regeneration

Silk derived from the silkworm is known for its excellent biological and mechanical properties. It has been used in various fields as a biomaterial, especially in bone tissue engineering scaffolding. Recently, silk protein-based biomaterial has been used as a barrier membrane scaffolding for guided bone regeneration (GBR). GBR promotes bone regeneration in bone defect areas using special barrier membranes. GBR membranes should have biocompatibility, biodegradability, cell occlusion, the mechanical properties of space-making, and easy clinical handling. Silk-based biomaterial has excellent biologic and mechanical properties that make it a good candidate to be used as GBR membranes. Recently, various forms of silk protein-based membranes have been introduced, demonstrating excellent bone regeneration ability, including osteogenic cell proliferation and osteogenic gene expression, and promoting new bone regeneration in vivo. In this article, we introduced the characteristics of silk protein as bone tissue engineering scaffolding and the recent application of such silk material as a GBR membrane. We also suggested future studies exploring additional uses of silk-based materials as GBR membranes.