Yellow-red cocoon silkworm strains absorb carotenoids from mulberry leaves and spin carotenoids-containing silk with stronger antioxidant and antibacterial activities than white silk. However, whether these strains can serve as safe bioreactors to assimilate exogenous, non-mulberry carotenoids and produce high-value carotenoid-enriched silk proteins remain unclear. Here, we evaluated the effects of dietary canthaxanthin supplementation in silkworms. Canthaxanthin feeding significantly increased cocoon yield, pupal weight, cocoon shell weight, and egg-laying capacity. Sericin extracted from canthaxanthin-supplemented cocoons displayed an orange-red coloration and exhibited enhanced antioxidant activity, cytocompatibility, and antitumor effects compared with sericin from white cocoons. Moreover, sericin co-enriched with canthaxanthin and lutein provided improved UV protection and accelerated skin recovery in UV-irradiated mice. Collectively, these results demonstrate that dietary canthaxanthin improves silkworm production traits and support yellow-red cocoon silkworm strains as promising bioreactors for producing exogenous carotenoid-enriched sericin with enhanced functional properties. • Yellow-red cocoon silkworm serves as a novel bioreactor for producing carotenoid- enriched sericin materials. • Exogenous canthaxanthin enhances silkworm cocoon yield and egg-laying capacity. • Canthaxanthin-enriched sericin outperforms white sericin in antioxidant, cytocompatibility & antitumor. • Carotenoid-containing sericin exerts UV protection and promotes skin repair in UV-damaged mice.
Yue et al. (Wed,) studied this question.