Cell Proliferation Inhibition by Sericin from the Wild Silkworm, Cricula Trifenestrata

Sericin is a major silk protein, and recent studies have shown that sericin has numerous physiological activities against cultured cells.For example, it accelerates mammalian cell proliferation and protects insect cells against cell death.In this study, we examined the activities of sericin prepared from the wild silkworm, Cricula trifenestrata.The results presented here indicated that C. trifenestrata sericin has anti-proliferative activity against feline kidney cells, while sericin from Bombyx mori promoted cell proliferation.The components of the sericin preparation that played a role in inhibition of proliferation were analyzed by fractionation through partition chromatography (Folch method) and reversed-phase chromatography.Our analysis showed that at least two components in the C. trifenestrata sericin preparation promoted the anti-proliferative activity in an additive or even synergistic manner.Therefore, differences in components between insect species may contribute to different activities against cultured cells.