Which process degrades natural suture materials such as silk?

• A. Hydrolysis
• B. Oxidation
• C. Phagocytosis
• D. Enzymatic digestion

Answer: (C)

Natural suture materials like silk are degraded in the body mainly through phagocytic clearance by immune cells. Silk is a protein fiber, so when implanted, macrophages and foreign-body giant cells target the thread, engulfing portions of it (phagocytosis) and then digesting it with intracellular enzymes within the phagolysosomes. This cellular process gradually breaks down the material over time. While chemical processes such as hydrolysis or oxidation can affect polymers in some contexts, the predominant in vivo mechanism for silk is phagocytosis with enzymatic digestion inside the phagocytes, making phagocytosis the best answer.