This study describes the potential use of silk gland sericin protein as a biocompatible natural biopolymer
in its native form. The membranes were fabricated using native silk sericin protein extracted from middle
silk gland of Antheraea mylitta, a non-mulberry tropical tasar silkworm without using any cross-linking
agent. The fabricated membranes were biophysically characterized and optimized for cell culture. Silk
sericin protein extracted from gland contained higher amount of -sheets, which increased upon treatment
with ethanol as observed by FTIR and XRD. The membranes did show robustness, good mechanical
strength and high temperature stability. Cytocompatibility of the membranes was evaluated by MTT
assay and cell cycle analysis using feline fibroblast cells. Morphology of growing cells was assessed by
confocal microscopy that indicated normal spreading and proliferation on the silk sericin membranes. The
membranes showed low inflammatory response as observed assaying TNF release. This study reveals
the potential of native silk sericin protein from silk gland as biocompatible biopolymer for potential
biomedical applications.