多孔丝素材料组织相容性的初步研究

背景：丝素蛋白支架材料被植入生物体内后会发生降解且无法完全与宿主组织分离,这类材料生物相容性的研究大多为体外实验,其体内的组织相容性和降解过程的研究结果仍不充分。 目的：初步观察多孔丝素材料的体内组织相容性。 方法：将多孔丝素支架埋藏于SD大鼠背部皮下,术后2,4,6,8周分别取材,对伤口局部及材料情况大体观察,然后材料切片苏木精-伊红染色行组织学观察。 结果与结论：动物伤口愈合良好,多孔丝素表面形成极薄的纤维包裹,周围组织反应轻微。组织切片见炎细胞浸润,以巨噬细胞为主,支架材料边缘孔隙内有成纤维细胞和毛细血管长入。8周时材料边缘部分可见支架结构崩解现象,而材料内部变化不大。结果显示组织细胞可以沿多孔丝素支架表面贴附生长,提示支架材料具有较好的组织相容性。     

仿生支架材料骨形态发生蛋白7多肽/壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石/胶原的制备及其细胞相容性

背景：目前骨组织工程常用的支架材料主要有无机材料、有机高分子材料及天然衍生材料等,上述材料各有优缺点,为了充分发挥各类材料的优势,弥补其不足,目前多采用联合材料制备复合支架。 目的：制备新型仿生支架材料骨形态发生蛋白7多肽/壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石/胶原,并观察其对骨髓间充质干细胞增殖、黏附及分化的影响。 方法：制备壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石/胶原复合支架材料,扫描电镜观察支架材料表面微观形貌;采用真空吸附法将骨形态发生蛋白7多肽与支架材料复合,高效液相色谱仪检测骨形态发生蛋白7多肽在体外的释放规律;将骨髓间充质干细胞接种到复合骨形态发生蛋白7多肽的仿生支架材料上,以未复合多肽的支架材料作为对照,检测支架材料表面细胞增殖、黏附率、生长形态及碱性磷酸酶活性。 结果与结论：壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石/胶原支架材料呈多孔状,孔径10~100 µm;骨形态发生蛋白7多肽可以从支架材料中缓慢释出;在复合多肽的仿生支架材料表面,骨髓间充质干细胞的黏附及向成骨细胞方向分化能力均明显强于对照组(P < 0.05),而增殖能力与对照组差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05)。说明新型仿生支架材料骨形态发生蛋白7多肽/壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石/胶原是一种理想的骨组织工程支架材料,具有良好的细胞相容性。     

丝素/壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石构建的骨组织工程支架

背景：丝素蛋白、壳聚糖及纳米羟基磷灰石均是天然材料,具有良好的生物活性和理化特性,作为人体组织工程材料已取得了一定的成果,但3种材料在单独应用的研究中还存在一定的缺陷。 目的：制作丝素蛋白/壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石三维支架材料,分析其特性。 方法：将丝素蛋白、壳聚糖、纳米羟基磷灰石分别配制成2%的溶液后,分别按照 1∶1∶0.5,1∶1∶1, 1∶1∶1.5 的体积比混合,采用冷冻干燥与化学交联技术制备成三维复合支架材料。检测三维复合支架的孔隙率、吸水膨胀率及热水溶失率,采用材料力学测验机测试干燥三维复合支架材料的拉伸和压缩弹性模量,采用扫描电镜检测三维复合支架的孔径。 结果与结论：丝素蛋白/壳聚糖/纳米羟基磷灰石三维复合支架在干燥状态下呈白色,无特殊气味,为稳定固态的圆柱体,触之有明显的抗压能力和弹性。随着复合支架材料中纳米羟基磷灰石含量的增高,支架材料的孔隙率、吸水膨胀率、平均孔径呈逐渐减小趋势,热水溶失率及抗压能力表现出相反的趋势,结果显示以1∶1∶1体积比制作的支架更符合骨替代材料要求,其平均孔径为85.67 µm、吸水膨胀率的为(135.65±4.56)%、热水溶失率为(22.84±1.06)%,支架材料内部孔隙均匀,呈现网状结构,孔隙之间交通发达,网状结构本身约10 µm。     

兔许旺细胞与猪小肠黏膜下层的体外复合培养

背景：国内外研究以大鼠许旺细胞与小肠黏膜下层复合修复神经缺损,取得了较好结果。 目的：观察兔许旺细胞与猪小肠黏膜下层体外共培养的生物相容性。 方法：采用分步酶消化法分离培养新西兰大白兔许旺细胞,取第3代许旺细胞接种在猪小肠黏膜下层上。 结果与结论：①苏木精-伊红染色：复合培养24 h后细胞在材料上良好黏附。1周时部分细胞在猪小肠黏膜下层基质层表面呈单层生长,细胞扁平,细胞核呈长梭形,细胞间连接紧密。2周后,细胞呈多层生长。②扫描电镜：复合培养2 d,细胞黏附于材料表面并伸展,细胞体呈纺锤形,从胞体伸出两根细长突起,相邻细胞的突起首尾相接连成细胞链或融合或交联或在纤维的侧方平行生长;1周后细胞在材料上大量增殖,呈串珠链黏附于支架上,类似于神经中的Bunger带。表明小肠黏膜下层与许旺细胞有良好的相容性。     

丝素蛋白/壳聚糖三维支架与骨髓间充质干细胞的体外培养

背景：前期实验发现丝素蛋白、壳聚糖以适当的比例混合,可以互相弥补各自的不足,表现出良好的理化性质和生物学特性。 目的：观察骨髓间充质干细胞在丝素蛋白/壳聚糖混合三维支架材料上的生长情况。 方法：将诱导后的兔骨髓间充质干细胞接种在丝素蛋白/壳聚糖支架材料上,检测细胞黏附率,倒置显微镜及扫描电镜观察细胞生长情况。 结果与结论：细胞黏附率随时间的延长而增加。倒置显微镜观察显示,丝素蛋白/壳聚糖支架上的细胞看不清,随着时间的延长,支架周围细胞增多,且有细胞伸入支架内;扫面电镜观察显示,细胞生长活跃、增殖分裂正常,细胞周围见颗粒状、丝状基质物质,细胞的微丝与支架材料黏附紧密;细胞不仅可以在材料表面贴附生长,并伸入材料之中。说明丝素蛋白/壳聚糖混合支架材料具有良好的细胞生物相容性。     

碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇复合支架的制备及性能检测

背景：长期实验发现聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架的力学性能及细胞相容性能较差,因此多数研究向支架中加入其他材料,以提高其生物活性及力学性能。 目的：制备改性碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架,并检测其性能。 方法：采用溶液潘注/粒子沥滤法制备改性碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇复合支架。对比改性碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇复合支架与聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架的超微结构、孔隙率、吸水性、降解率及力学性能。将改性碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇复合支架与聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架分别与SD大鼠成骨细胞共培养,12 h后采用沉淀法检测细胞黏附率;培养1,3,5,7,9 d后,采用 MTT 法检测细胞增殖。 结果与结论：聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架材料表面孔结构分布均匀,孔径为(404.0±10.5) µm;改性碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架碳纤维表面见大量纵向沟槽,表面孔结构分布均匀,孔径为(433.0±3.0) µm,两组支架孔径比较差异有显著性意义(P < 0.05)。改性碳纤维-聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架的孔隙率、吸水性、弹性模量和抗压强度、降解率、细胞黏附率与增殖率均高于聚乳酸-聚乙二醇支架(P < 0.05)。表明改性碳纤维的加入改善了聚乳酸-聚乙二醇复合支架的力学性能及细胞相容性。中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：生物材料;骨生物材料; 口腔生物材料; 纳米材料; 缓释材料; 材料相容性;组织工程     

人工材料表面形态对转化人胚肌腱细胞黏附特性的影响

利用微吸管实验技术这一细胞力学手段研究人工材料表面形态对转化人胚肌腱细胞黏附特性的影响。结果显示：在不同形态聚合物表面,转化人胚肌腱细胞具有不同的黏附特性,细胞与多孔膜的黏附比与无孔膜和纤维的黏附大;细胞与多孔膜的黏附力随多孔膜孔径增大而增加,当孔径较大时（150－500μm）,细胞与多孔膜的粘附力明显增加（P＜0.05）;转化人胚肌腱细胞与纤维的黏附力纤维直径增大而增加,但无显著性差异（P＞0.05）。提示,选择特定孔径的聚合物泡沫或特定直径的聚合物纤维制成组织工程化肌腱支架,有助于细胞的黏附。     

不同孔径丝素蛋白支架体内降解观察

近年来,丝素蛋白支架因其固有的低免疫原性、良好的生物相容性在组织工程研究中备受关注。通过观察不同孔径丝素蛋白支架在活体Sprague-Dawley(SD)大鼠体内不同时间点降解的形态学特点,了解材料的结构特性对丝素蛋白支架降解的影响。将3种不同孔径丝素蛋白支架:SF1(平均孔径 (20±1.5) μm,平均孔隙率 86.8%±0.2%)、SF2(平均孔径(100±8) μm,平均孔隙率 92.4%±0.1%)、SF3(平均孔径(200±15) μm,平均孔隙率 96.6%±0.1%)随机植入12只SD大鼠背部皮下,分别于术后6、12、18、24周随机取材,分别进行大体观察、组织切片HE染色和Masson染色。结果显示,不同孔径丝素蛋白支架在体内的降解速率不同:SF1 24周内未见明降解,SF2 24周内降解约40%,SF3至24周时基本崩解。植入早期丝素蛋白支架主要被炎性细胞及成纤维细胞浸润,后期主要为成纤维细胞,并可见胶原纤维包绕并生长入材料。孔径较大的丝素蛋白支架比孔径较小的降解速度快,可通过改变丝素蛋白支架的孔径有效干预丝素蛋白支架在生物体内的降解速率,以适应不同组织修复的需求。     

丝素蛋白/壳聚糖三维支架材料的制备方法

背景：很多研究表明丝素蛋白、壳聚糖为天然高分子材料,无毒无味,有良好的生物特性和理化性质。 目的：探讨符合软骨组织工程支架材料要求的丝素蛋白/壳聚糖三维支架材料制备方法。 方法：将丝素蛋白与壳聚糖按质量比分别为3∶1,1∶1,1∶3,0∶1的比例混合制备丝素蛋白-壳聚糖复合材料,通过孔径大小、孔隙率、吸水膨胀率及热水溶失率的测定,寻找丝素蛋白/壳聚糖最佳混合比例。 结果与结论：丝素蛋白/壳聚糖按质量1∶1的比例混合更符合要求：孔径90~280 μm,平均孔径为151.72 μm;孔隙率为(92.72±4.78)%;吸水膨胀率为(141.10±6.87)%;热水溶失率交联后较交联前降低,交联前后比较差异有显著性意义(P < 0.05)。说明丝素蛋白/壳聚糖按1∶1复合支架材料符合软骨组织工程支架材料理化性质的要求,该材料有望作为软骨组织工程研究较理想的支架材料。     

人牙髓细胞复合不同孔径羟基磷灰石/磷酸三钙支架材料的生物学行为

背景:有文献表明,通过组织工程的方法将人牙髓细胞复合羟基磷灰石/磷酸三钙多孔支架材料修复牙缺损具有可行性。然而究竟多大孔径的支架材料最有利于人牙髓细胞的生长及分化,至今尚无定论。目的:观察人牙髓细胞复合不同孔径羟基磷灰石/磷酸三钙支架材料后黏附、增殖和分化等生物学行为。方法:人牙髓细胞接种至3种不同孔径的羟基磷灰石/磷酸三钙材料上,采用荧光显微镜以及扫描电镜检测细胞在材料表面的黏附生长情况,然后通过细胞的黏附率实验与MTT比色法观察人牙髓细胞在材料表面的黏附与增殖特性。不同孔径的羟基磷灰石/磷酸三钙支架复合人牙髓细胞后分别用生长培养基和矿化诱导液培养,于接种后第4,7,10天检测碱性磷酸酶活性。结果与结论:人牙髓细胞在3种不同孔径支架材料表面和孔隙内均能顺利黏附并增殖。其中100～300μm组支架材料黏附率最高,MTT结果显示接种3d后300～500μm组能较好地促进细胞增殖。培养10d后,复合在100～300μm和300～500μm材料上的人牙髓细胞,其碱性磷酸酶活性显著高于500～700μm组。提示与500～700μm孔径相比,孔径为100～300μm和300～500μm的羟基磷灰石/磷酸三钙材料能更好地促进人牙髓细胞黏附、增殖和分化。     

Cell proliferation and migration in silk fibroin 3D scaffolds

Pore architecture in 3D polymeric scaffolds is known to play a critical role in tissue engineering as it provides the vital framework for the seeded cells to organize into a functioning tissue. In this report, we investigated the effects of different freezing temperature regimes on silk fibroin protein 3D scaffold pore microstructure. The fabricated scaffolds using freeze-dry technique were used as a 3D model to monitor cell proliferation and migration. Pores of 200–250 μm diameter were formed by slow cooling at temperatures of ?20 and ?80 °C but were found to be limited in porosity and pore interconnectivity as observed through scanning electron microscopic images. In contrast, highly interconnected pores with 96% porosity were observed when silk solutions were rapidly frozen at ?196 °C. A detailed study was conducted to assess the affect of pore size, porosity and interconnectivity on human dermal fibroblast cell proliferation and migration on these 3D scaffolds using confocal microscopy. The cells were observed to migrate within the scaffold interconnectivities and were found to reach scaffold periphery within 28 days of culture. Confocal images further confirmed normal cell attachment and alignment of actin filaments within the porous scaffold matrix with well-developed nuclei. This study indicates rapid freeze-drying technique as an alternative method to fabricate highly interconnected porous scaffolds for developing functional 3D silk fibroin matrices for potential tissue engineering, biomedical and biotechnological applications.     

Development of silk-based scaffolds for tissue engineering of bone from human adipose-derived stem cells

Silk fibroin is a potent alternative to other biodegradable biopolymers for bone tissue engineering (TE), because of its tunable architecture and mechanical properties, and its demonstrated ability to support bone formation both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we investigated a range of silk scaffolds for bone TE using human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs), an attractive cell source for engineering autologous bone grafts. Our goal was to understand the effects of scaffold architecture and biomechanics and use this information to optimize silk scaffolds for bone TE applications. Silk scaffolds were fabricated using different solvents (aqueous vs. hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP)), pore sizes (250-500 μm vs. 500-1000 μm) and structures (lamellar vs. spherical pores). Four types of silk scaffolds combining the properties of interest were systematically compared with respect to bone tissue outcomes, with decellularized trabecular bone (DCB) included as a "gold standard". The scaffolds were seeded with hASCs and cultured for 7 weeks in osteogenic medium. Bone formation was evaluated by cell proliferation and differentiation, matrix production, calcification and mechanical properties. We observed that 400-600 μm porous HFIP-derived silk fibroin scaffold demonstrated the best bone tissue formation outcomes, as evidenced by increased bone protein production (osteopontin, collagen type I, bone sialoprotein), enhanced calcium deposition and total bone volume. On a direct comparison basis, alkaline phosphatase activity (AP) at week 2 and new calcium deposition at week 7 were comparable to the cells cultured in DCB. Yet, among the aqueous-based structures, the lamellar architecture induced increased AP activity and demonstrated higher equilibrium modulus than the spherical-pore scaffolds. Based on the collected data, we propose a conceptual model describing the effects of silk scaffold design on bone tissue formation.     

Three-dimensional aqueous-derived biomaterial scaffolds from silk fibroin

A new all-aqueous process is described to form three-dimensional porous silk fibroin matrices with control of structural and morphological features. The result of this process are scaffolds with controllable porosity and pore sizes that fully degrade in the presence of proteases, unlike prior methods to generate silk-based biomaterials that required the use of organic solvent treatments to impart control of structure and stability in aqueous environments, with low rates of proteolytic hydrolysis. A mechanism is proposed for this novel process that imparts physical stability via hydrophobic interactions. Adjusting the concentration of silk fibroin in water, and the particle size of granular NaCl used in the process, leads to the control of morphological and functional properties of the scaffolds. The aqueous-derived scaffolds had highly homogeneous and interconnected pores with pore sizes ranging from 470 to 940 microm, depending on the mode of preparation. The scaffolds had porosities >90% and compressive strength and modulus up to 320 +/- 10 and 3330 +/- 500 KPa, respectively, when formed from 10% aqueous solutions of fibroin. The scaffolds fully degraded upon exposure to protease during 21 days, unlike the scaffolds prepared from organic solvent processing. These new silk-based three-dimensional matrices provide useful properties as biomaterial matrices due to the all-aqueous mode of preparation, control of pore size, connectivity of pores, degradability and useful mechanical features. Importantly, this process offers an entirely new window of materials properties when compared with traditional silk fibroin-based materials.     

Preparation and characterization of nano-hydroxyapatite/silk fibroin porous scaffolds

Novel tissue engineering scaffold materials of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA)/silk fibroin (SF) biocomposite were prepared by freeze-drying. The needle-like nHA crystals of about 10 nm in diameter by 50-80 nm in length, which were uniformly distributed in the porous nHA/SF scaffolds, were prepared by a co-precipitation method with a size. The as-prepared nHA/SF scaffolds showed good homogeneity, interconnected pores and high porosity. XRD and FT-IR analysis suggested that the silk fibroin was in beta-sheet structure, which usually provides outstanding mechanical properties for silk materials. In this work, composite scaffolds containing as high as 70% (w/w) nHA were prepared, which had excellent compressive modulus and strength, higher than the scaffolds at low nHA content level and other porous biodegradable polymeric scaffolds often considered in bone-related tissue engineering reported previously. The cell compatibility of composite scaffolds was evaluated through cell viability by MTT assay. All these results indicated that these nHA/SF scaffold materials may be a promising biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.     

丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架有良好的细胞相容性与渗透性

文题释义：丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架：将壳聚糖溶于浓度为1%的冰乙酸,制备成质量浓度为35 g/L的壳聚糖溶液并与丝素蛋白溶液融合,将素蛋白与羧化壳聚糖按照体积比8∶2的比例混合,再将混合溶液注入48孔板中,每孔注入1 mL,最后通过冷冻干燥得到丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架。 热重分析：是指在程序控制温度下测量待测样品的质量与温度变化关系的一种热分析技术,用来研究材料的热稳定性和组分。实验中将10 mg待检验的样品放于氮气环境下进行检测,测试温度升高控制范围为30-800 ℃,温度上升速度为10 ℃/min。 背景：丝素蛋白与壳聚糖为组织工程常用的支架材料,但二者单独应用均存在一定的不足,将两者混合使用可以互为改性,充分发挥优点,获取理想的复合支架材料。 目的：制备丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架并对其进行性能测定。 方法：通过冷冻干燥方法制备丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架,采用电镜扫描检测复合支架的形态结构,并进行热重分析、力学性能及细胞毒性检测。制备季铵化壳聚糖,利用核磁共振仪表征其核磁氢谱,Zeta电位仪检测其电位和粒径分布,凝胶电泳实验检测其保护DNA的情况,透射电镜观察其与DNA结合情况。 结果与结论：①扫描电镜显示丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架具体良好的三维孔洞结构,孔径为50-100 μm;②热重分析显示当温度小于200 ℃时,丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架的质量损失下降速度较低;当温度上升至200-500 ℃时,支架质量损失速度开始加快,损失量增多;在800 ℃时,复合支架的残余质量为38%;③丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架的最大应变可以达到94.94%,最大承受应力为7.01 MPa;④CCK-8实验显示,丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架对兔骨髓间充质干细胞没有细胞毒性,具有良好的细胞相容性;⑤核磁氢谱检测显示,季铵化壳聚糖的季铵化程度约为20%;⑥季铵化壳聚糖的粒径分布为(588.56±52.39) nm,季铵化壳聚糖颗粒的表面带正电荷,电位为(16.3±3.92) mV,有利于与DNA结合;⑦凝胶电泳实验显示,季铵化壳聚糖材料的比例越高,对DNA的包裹越好,当其与DNA的比例为1∶3时,对DNA达到包裹作用;⑧透射电镜显示,季铵化壳聚糖/DNA大部分的微粒呈实心圆形,微粒粒径差别较小,平均粒径约为200 nm;⑨结果表明,丝素蛋白/壳聚糖复合支架有良好的细胞相容性与细胞渗透性,利于细胞在支架间的生长。 ORCID: 0000-0002-2572-0229(章晓云) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：生物材料;骨生物材料; 口腔生物材料; 纳米材料; 缓释材料; 材料相容性;组织工程     

Initial cell pre-cultivation can maximize ECM mineralization by human mesenchymal stem cells on silk fibroin scaffolds

Fast remineralization of bone defects by means of tissue engineering is one of many targets in orthopedic regeneration. This study investigated the influence of a range of pre-culture durations for human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) before inducing differentiation into osteoblast-like cells. The aim was to find the conditions that lead to maximal extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization, in terms of both amount and best distribution. Additionally, the influence of silk fibroin scaffold pore size on mineralization was assessed. The formation of mineralized ECM by hMSCs cultured in osteogenic medium on silk fibroin scaffolds was monitored and quantified for up to 72 days in culture using non-invasive time-lapse micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). ECM mineralization increased linearly 3 weeks after the beginning of the experiment with addition of differentiation medium. Biochemical end-point assays measured the amount of DNA, calcium deposits, alkaline phosphatase activity and cell metabolic activity to corroborate the hypothesis that an initial pre-culture period of hMSCs on silk fibroin scaffolds can accelerate mineralized ECM formation. According to the micro-CT analysis mineralization on silk fibroin scaffolds with pores of 112-224 μm diameter was most efficient with an initial cell pre-culture period of 9 days, showing 6.87±0.81× higher mineralization values during the whole cultivation period than without an initial cell pre-culture period.     

Effect of pore size and void fraction on cellular adhesion, proliferation, and matrix deposition.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of two key scaffold design parameters, void fraction (VF) and pore size, on the attachment, growth, and extracellular matrix deposition by several cell types. Disc-shaped, porous, poly(-lactic acid) (L-PLA) scaffolds were manufactured by the TheriForm solid free-form fabrication process to generate scaffolds with two VF (75% and 90%) and four pore size distributions (< 38, 38-63, 63-106, and 106-150 microm). Microcomputed tomography analysis revealed that the average pore size was generally larger than the NaCl used, while VF was at or near the designated percentage. The response of three cell types-canine dermal fibroblasts (DmFb), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), or microvascular epithelial cells (MVEC)-to variations in architecture during a 4-week culture period were assessed using histology, metabolic activity, and extracellular matrix deposition as comparative metrics. DmFb, VSMC, and MVEC showed uniform seeding on scaffolds with 90% VF for each pore size, in contrast to the corresponding 75% VF scaffolds. DmFb showed the least selectivity for pore sizes. VSMC displayed equivalent cell proliferation and matrix deposition for the three largest pore sizes. MVEC formed disconnected webs of tissue with sparse extracellular matrix at 90% VF and >38 to 150 microm; however, when cultured on scaffolds with pores formed with salt particles of <38 microm, MVEC formed a multilayered lining on the scaffolds surface. Culture data from scaffolds with a 75% VF suggests that the structural features were unsuitable for tissue formation. Hence, there were limits of acceptable scaffold architecture (VF, pore size) that modulated in vitro cellular responses.     

Optimization and evaluation of silk fibroin-chitosan freeze-dried porous scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering application

Silk fibroin/chitosan blend has been reported to be an attractive biomaterial that provides a 3D porous structure with controllable pore size and mechanical property suitable for tissue engineering applications. However, there is no systematic study for optimizing the ratio of silk fibroin (SF) and chitosan (CS) which seems to influence the scaffold property to a great extent. The present research, therefore, investigates the effect of blend ratio of SF and CS on scaffold property and establishes the optimum value of blend ratio. Among the various blends, the scaffolds with blend ratio of SF/CS (80:20) were found to be superior. The scaffold possesses pore size in the range 71–210 μm and porosity of 82.2 ± 1.3%. The compressive strength of the scaffold was measured as 190 ± 0.2 kPa. The cell supportive property of the scaffold in terms of cell attachment, cell viability, and proliferation was confirmed by cell culture study using mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Furthermore, the assessment of glycosaminoglycan secretion on the scaffolds indicates its potentiality toward cartilage tissue regeneration.