Title : Multi-fluorescent silk as a minimally invasive indicator of surgical recovery
Abstract:
The precise and effective evaluation of surgical recovery presents significant challenges in the medical field, and current methods for evaluating recovery can be invasive, subjective, and expensive. Fluorescent silk, produced by an altered silkworm diet, has been proposed to have biomedical applications due to its desirable biocompatible, biodegradable and strong mechanical properties. In this study, silkworms will be fed a diet supplemented with different fluorescent chemicals such as Rhodamine B, Rhodamine 110 and Copper for approximately 5-14 days and the cocoons from these silkworms will be analyzed to determine whether it is possible for silk fibers to contain a combination of different fluorescent properties. The silk threads will then be immersed in synthetic blood to determine how bodily fluids may impact the fluorescent properties. Results show silkworms can produce multi-fluorescent silk that is similar in size and strength to commercially available surgical sutures, the green fluorophores showed around 50% reduction in fluorescence intensity after one week immersion in synthetic blood while the red fluorophores remained persistent and the concentration of chemicals the silkworms were fed affected their growth rate. From a mechanical silk test, experimental silk was approximately 70% the strength of commercially available surgical sutures, sustaining a minimum of 420 g and maximum of 480 g. The silk produced through the methods described in this study is comparable to that of synthetic sutures in size and function with the additional property of being multi-fluorescent. By providing a more efficient way to evaluate recovery, this study makes post-op monitoring more cost-effective, provides immediate feedback, and increases time in a doctor’s day enabling them to provide care to more patients.
