Exploring the Unique Properties and Superior Schwann Cell Guiding Abilities of Spider Egg Sac Silk

Overview

Journal ACS Appl Bio Mater

Date 2025 Jan 17

PMID 39823552

Authors

Karolina Peter

Sarah Stadlmayr

Aida Naghilou

Leon Ploszczanski

Manuel Hofmann

Christian Riekel

Jiliang Liu

Manfred Burghammer

Claudia Gusenbauer

Johannes Konnerth

Hannes C Schniepp

Harald Rennhofer

Gerhard Sinn

Christine Radtke

Helga C Lichtenegger

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Spider silk (SPSI) is a promising candidate for use as a filler material in nerve guidance conduits (NGCs), facilitating peripheral nerve regeneration by providing a scaffold for Schwann cells (SCs) and axonal growth. However, the specific properties of SPSI that contribute to its regenerative success remain unclear. In this study, the egg sac silk of is investigated, which contains two distinct fiber types: tubuliform (TU) and major ampullate (MA) silk. These fibers serve as models to derive material parameters governing SC migration on natural silk substrates, since they are produced by the same spider, yet exhibiting distinct composition and morphology. In this paper, detailed characterization of the fibers' material properties and evaluation of their SC-guiding performance were conducted. Live cell imaging revealed significantly enhanced SC mobility and directionality on TU silk compared to MA silk, which is remarkable, given the lack of studies on TU silk for nerve regeneration. Our results suggest that the distinct morphological and material properties of these fibers are critical to their nerve-guiding potential. These insights contribute to the optimization of NGC filler materials by identifying key parameters essential for effective nerve regeneration.

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