Micro/nanofiber-based structures for tissue engineering applications: potential and current challenges

P.R. CORTEZ TORNELLO; G.A. ABRAHAM; F. MONTINI BALLARIN; P.C. CARACCIOLO

Applications of NanoBioMaterials Multi-Volume Set (I-XI), Volume V: NanoBioMaterials in Soft Tissue Engineering.

Elsevier

Año: 2016; p. 201 - 229

Bioresorbable micro/nanofiber-based structures are being studied as promising candidates for tissue engineering applications. Among the existing techniques for producing these matrices, electrospinning has attracted interest in many technological fields as a versatile and powerful processing technique. Electrospun micro/nanofibers possess high surface area-to-volume ratio, high porosity and pore interconnectivity, and tunable fiber morphology and orientation. Moreover, submicron-fibers are found in the extracellular matrix of natural organs and tissues. To date, many synthetic and natural polymers, biodegradable or non-biodegradable polymers, ceramics and composite materials, have been successfully electrospun using a plethora of techniques. Although in the beginnings electrospinning was focused in producing bidimensional structures, nowadays three-dimensional structures are also being developed. Besides the progress in the electrospinning process achieved in the last years, there still remain a number of challenges, such as mechanical, physical and chemical biomimeticity, pore size enlargement, surface functionalization, therapeutic agents/cells loading, vascularization, and cell infiltration. This chapter reviews on the research advances made in electrospun scaffolds for soft tissue engineering applications focusing on wound dressing, cartilage, muscle, cardiovascular, nerve and skin tissues.