Scaffolds In Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Fibrous structures are useful for tissue engineering scaffolds due to morphology similar to that of the extracellular matrix. The structural optimization and the surface modification of the scaffolds could boost the cell attachment and its proliferation. Most materials for tissue engineering applications have been developed as scaffolds. Scaffolds are created by foaming that most closely match the requirements for an ideal scaffold and most closely resemble the trabecular bone structure. These include HA foam gel-cast, bioactive glass foam, and composites of biodegradable polymer foam / bioactive glass. Nevertheless, no material or manufacturing method has met all the requirements of an ideal scaffold. Scaffolds developed by RP and SFF methods show highly ordered microstructures and can be easily manufactured to complex forms dictated directly from the patient by CT scans. To achieve the goal of an ideal scaffold, a mixture of polymers and bio-ceramics with newly generated tissue should be used.For the construction of tissue-engineering scaffolds for bone, several approaches are described. There is also a high degree of interconnected pores in the correct scaffold for soft tissues such as nerve fibers (e.g. axons transmitting nerve impulses); furthermore, the pores can require orientation and may be smaller. Homogeneous, high-water-content hydrogels are commonly used as a scaffold with mechanical properties that match the soft nerve tissue, and the methods used to make them are reviewed.