Progress in microcosmic architecture of silk fibroin scaffold in tissue engineering

Silk fibroin has excellent biocompatibility,biodegradability,and remarkable mechanical properties,which have made silk fibroin widely applied in tissue engineering(TE). However,it is still a challenge to fabricate the architecture of tissue engineering scaffolds with the purpose of promoting cellular migration,attachment,formation of new extracellular matrix and tissue ingrowth and fostering the transport of nutrients and metabolic wastes. In this work,the microcosmic architectures of TE silk fibroin scaffolds,mainly including porous,fibrous,porous-fibrous and hydrogel architectures,are discussed and summarized by comparing different scaffold structures and their effects on cells referring to our works. Furthermore,we consider that it is necessary to pay further attention on the molecular and atomic structures of the nature tissues to mimic them precisely in vitro.