An assessment of biopolymer- and synthetic polymer-based scaffolds for bone and vascular tissue engineering

The promise of tissue engineering is the combination of a scaffold with cells to initiate the regeneration of tissues or organs. Engineering of scaffolds is critical for success and tailoring of polymer properties is essential for their good performance. Many different materials of natural and synthetic origins have been investigated, but the challenge is to find those that have the right mix of mechanical performance, biodegradability and biocompatibility for biological applications. This article reviews key polymeric properties for bone and vascular scaffold eligibility with focus on biopolymers, synthetic polymers and their blends. The limitations of these polymeric systems and ways and means to improve scaffold performance specifically for bone and vascular tissue engineering are discussed. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

Bioengineering scaffolds for regenerative engineering

© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have been vastly developing since the past decade. Cell, scaffold, and signal are the tissue engineering triad. In that, the scaffold is critical to supporting tissue regeneration. The purpose of scaffolding is to mimic the structure and function of extracellular matrix in native tissues, which replaces, or partially replaces, damaged or diseased tissues. This article will provide a broad summary of scaffolding materials and fabrication techniques. Different scaffolding materials including synthetic, natural, and hybrid materials are introduced in detail. Fabrication techniques including decellularization, particulate leaching, gas foaming, phase separation, electrospinning, and three-dimensional printing are evaluated as methods to effectively recreate the architecture of target tissues. Examples of scaffold applications in regenerative therapies are given, while the specific requirements of architecture, material properties, and biochemical properties are discussed