Surgical adhesives based on silk fibroin: A critical account of past and current research

Silk fibroin is a natural proteinaceous material that can be readily obtained from the cocoons produced by domesticated silkworms (Bombyx mori). Due to remarkable physicochemical properties, this protein has been extensively investigated, and found promising applications in biomedicine and bioengineering. Over the past three decades, its potential use as a component of surgical adhesives/sealants has been also occasionally explored. This review discusses critically the existing research literature, showing both the achievements and the limitations or disputable results. An inescapable conclusion is that more research work is needed to establish a functional relevance for silk fibroin in surgical adhesive formulations. So far as the author is aware, all publications related to the topic are covered in this review.