Silkworm sericin is an inexpensive glycoprotein obtained as a by-product in the silk industry. Silk sericin due to its proteinous nature is susceptible to the action of proteolytic enzymes present in body and hence it is digestible. This property makes it a biocompatible and biodegradable material because of some additional properties like, gelling ability, moisture retention capacity, and skin adhesion. It has wide applications in medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics.
Silk fibroin (SF), which forms the inner core of silk, is a (bio)material officially recognized by the Food and Drug Administration /FDA/ for human applications, where SF has anti-inflammatory properties, while Silk Sericin presents antioxidant, anti-tyrosine, anti-aging, anti-elastase and anti-bacterial features.
It’s very important for the cosmetic industry due to the following effects:
- In sericin, about 80% of the amino acid has hydrophilic lateral groups, about 1/3 is serine whose water absorption is 50 times more than that of glycerin. So sericin, as raw material of cosmetics, has excellent moisture absorption and Anti-microbe ability;
- The silk peptide have good therapy effects for several dermatosis, such as Skin Cracks, Dermatitis, Pruritus and Chloasma according many laboratory trials and medical expertises.
- The experimental results show that silk peptide has no irritability and can accelerate healing of wounds.
- It can prevent corrosion and damage of dusts, coating, acid and alkaline chemical substances on skin.