Spider and mulberry silkworm silks as co

Silks are a diverse family of natural materials with extraordinary mechanical properties such as high tensile strength and extensibility, as well as reported biological compatibility. In recent years, the reported exceptional nature of silk has led to increased interest in silk for biomedical applications. The aim of this review is to assess the potential and compatibility of silk fibres and silk-based materials for biomedical purposes. It will do so by reviewing silk properties, structure and formation, with special focus on spider and mulberry silkworm silk fibres, as well as the application of silk in the biomedical field. The review will begin by introducing the general characteristics of silk and considering properties particularly relevant to the use of silk in biomedical applications: degradation and tensile properties. Subsequently, the formation of silk in vivo will be outlined, as well as the current understanding of silk structure. A comparison of the structural differences between spider and silkworm silks will follow, along with a description of different types of silk produced by orb-weaving spiders. The review aims to point out the excellent properties observed in various silk types and proposes that an artificially produced silk or silk-like material may overcome current limitations.