Electrospun Nanofibers and their Application in Tissue Repair and Engineering

Abstract

Introduction: Tissue engineering is the repair and replacement of damaged tissues and requires a combination of cells, growth factor and porous scaffolds. Scaffolds, as one of the main components in tissue engineering, are used as a template for tissue regeneration and induction and guidance of growth of the new and biologically active tissues. An ideal scaffold in tissue engineering, imitating an extracellular matrix, provides a suitable environment for adhesion, growth and cell proliferation. Scaffolds have also been used as the carriers for the controlled delivery of drugs and proteins. Variety of porous scaffolds, fabricated from biological and synthetic materials and using different manufacturing methods, have been introduced. Among them nanofibrous scaffolds have attracted great attention due to remarkable advantages including the highly porous three-dimensional structure with interconnected cavities which enable the transportation of food and waste materials, as well as high surface to volume ratio. So far, different methods and techniques have been introduced for production of scaffolds with structures similar to the extracellular matrix. Amongst them electrospinning, due to easiness and more control over effective parameters, are preferred. The present study make a review about the used materials and various methods of nanofibrous scaffold fabrication using electrospinning technology, with emphasis on the use of tissue engineering application. It also discussed about the progress and challenges ahead and the goals and perspective presented for this approach.