Silk spider healing

Spider silk, the healthiest natural fiber ever known, can possess medicinal properties that help regenerate or restore ligaments in humans.

Silk spider is five times stronger than steel. (Photo: cbc) A folk tale from 2,000 years ago also talks about the underlying medical value of spider silk in fighting infections, preventing bleeding and wound healing, molecular biologist Randolph Lewis at University of Wyoming, USA, said.

Evidence of spider silk that can kill bacteria is not yet available. But an animal study has shown that spider silk produces very little immune response that causes transplant rejection. So scientists are testing spider silk into fibers that can be used in medicine.

Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts have discovered that spider silk can be used as a scaffold to regenerate damaged ligaments in the knee. They can also create artificial ligaments from spider silk.

Scientists also developed spider silk to create a superfine thread that stitches wounds on nerves or eyes without scarring.

MT