Study on the Enzyme Solubility and Thermal Stability of Irradiated Silk Fibroin

The irradiance technique has been used for polymer synthesis, improvement and sterilizing of biomaterials due to its low energy consumption and strong strength of penetration that can cause the molecular chemical reactions and molecular structure changes of polymer materials. But the effects and mechanism of gamma-radiation on protein such as silk fibroin (SF) are still unclear. In this paper, several different doses from 0 kGy to 3000 kGy were designed and used to treat silk fibers, and the enzyme solubility by collagenase IA and the thermal stability of the irradiated SF (fibers) were studied. Results showed that the thermal stability gradually decreased and the enzyme solubility of SF could be improved after treatment with Co-60-gamma radiation. It is also possible that this study would provide a pretreatment method for the improvement on the biodegradability of SF.