1. National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
2. Department of Burn Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University，Shanghai 200025, China
3. Department of Immunology, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
Degradation behavior of silk fibroin materials after in vivo implantation affects the morphological, structural and mechanical properties and gives rise to the mass loss of materials, and degradation products are closely related to the host tissue and body responses. The degradation rate of silk fibroin scaffolds and drug carriers should mirror the rate of tissue regeneration or be adequate for the controlled release of bioactive molecules. Here, this paper summarizes the degradation behaviors of silk-based materials over the last few years through introducing in vitro and in vivo degradation properties of natural silk fibroin fibers and regenerated silk fibroin materials including regenerated silk fibroin fibers, films and porous scaffolds, discussing the influences of morphological and structural features on degradation rate of silk fibroin materials, and further highlights the potential issues. The results obtained from current state researches indicate that silk fibroin can be hydrolyzed by various proteinases in vitro and in vivo. The regenerated silk fibroin materials show a rapid degradation rate compared to natural silk fibroin fibers. Furthermore, the molecular conformation, crystallinity, crosslinking degree and morphological features significantly influence the degradation rate of regenerated silk fibroin materials. It will be the aim of future research that to develop the models and technology can predict the biodegradation degree and functional alteration of biomaterials as well as the host body responses to the biomaterials, effectively controlling the degradation rate of biomaterials.