Mini-Review on Analytical Methods Applied for Analysis and Characterization of Sericin

Sericin is a serine-rich polydispersed glycoprotein found in Bombyx mori's cocoons. Sericin is extracted from cocoons as a protein, composed of amino acids like aspartic acid, glycine, tyrosine, serine, and glutamic acid with carboxyl, hydroxyl, and an amino group. Sericin has been explored for various pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, antiproliferative, antibacterial, anti-hypercholesteremia, and wound healing activity. Moreover, sericin has also been explored as a biopolymer for the preparation of nanoparticles, scaffolds, hydrogels, films, etc. This mini-review illustrates the reported methods for the characterization of extracted sericin and quantification in pharmaceutical formulations. The review covers analytical methods like UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, amino acid analysis, mass spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography with a brief explanation of every analytical method.