RESUMO
Nano-scale particles of silk fibroin peptide (SFP) were prepared from discarded materials of cocoon or filature by dissolving and enzymolysis. Polyvinyl Alcohol films inlaid with silk fibroin peptide nano-scale particles (SFP in PVA) were prepared by blending nano-SFP and PVA in water according to different blending ratios. The films' characteristics and their promoting cell growth functions were investigated. Silk fibroin fiber was dissolved in 60% NaSCN solution, and was decomposed with alpha-Chymotrypsin, Trypsin and Neutral, respectively. The uniformity of size of SFP nano-particles prepared by Neutral was better and appeared about 80-150 nm. (SFP in PVA) films were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) measurement which demonstrated the combination of SFP and PVA. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the PVA films already inlaid with SFP micro-segment. The surface and form stability in water of the (SFP in PVA) films with blending ratios of 10/90, 20/80, 30/70 and 40/60 were observed. And the results showed that SFP/PVA film with the blending ratio of 30/70 has smoother surface and better stability in water. The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were cultured, and the promoting cell growth function of (SFP in PVA) films was assessed by MTT colorimetric assay. These findings indicate that SFP/PVA (30/70) film has excellent function of promoting cell growth.