Spider silk for nerve regeneration

Spider silk has been established as one of nature’s most fascinating materials. It has been used in applications such as fishing and wound healing since centuries and in recent years has attracted vivid attention due to its unique strength, toughness, and elasticity. One of the more remarkable applications of spider silk in medicine is its use for nerve growth and nerve regeneration. Schwann cells, which are a crucial for the nerval regenerative process, have been shown to adhere to spider silk and migrate along it without any inflammatory response or physiological pH changes. The regenerative performance of different spider silks has been studied, but very little attention has been paid to the interface between Schwann cells and spider silk and its correlation to material and surface properties. Systematic studies combining mechanical, morphological, chemical, and structural investigations of spider silk together with an assessment of its nerve regenerative potential are still missing.