Assessment of silk fibroin for the repair of buccal mucosa in a rat model

This study evaluated the effectiveness of silk fibroin materials for wound repair confined to the buccal mucosa in a rat model by assessing several key clinical parameters and the associated local and systemic immune response. Ninety male SD rats were subjected to microscopic oral surgery to establish a full thickness wound on the buccal mucosa. Rats were randomly divided into three groups based on the treatments received: group A, covered with polyporous silk fibroin scaffold; group B, repaired with crosslinking silk fibroin film; and group C, control. Visual observation of the wounds suggests that wound shrinkage 5 days after the operation was significantly lower in both silk fibroin repaired groups (A and B) than that in the controls. The distribution of inflammatory neutrophils in group A was significantly lower than those in the control group throughout the entire study. The percentage of fibroblasts and capillary endothelia (CD34+), and the subgroups of peripheral lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+) were similar amongst the groups. The results revealed that placement of silk fibroin in an oral buccal defect can reduce the degree of wound shrinkage and enhance the growth of mucosal epithelial cells without any local or systemic immunological incompatibility.