Progress in the field of electrospinning for tissue engineering applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Electrospinning produces nonwovens with fibrillar structures similar to the extracellular matrix (ECM).
• This technique offers large surface areas, ease of functionalization, and controllable mechanical properties for tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds.
• Recent advancements in large-scale production and process simplicity make electrospinning highly attractive for TE applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress in electrospinning for tissue engineering (TE) applications.
• To focus on major problems encountered in TE scaffold fabrication using electrospinning.
• To present various solutions and considerations for current TE challenges.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on electrospinning for tissue engineering.
• Analysis of advancements in scaffold preparation and material selection.
• Identification of key challenges and proposed solutions in the field.

Main Results:

• Electrospinning of most biodegradable and biocompatible polymers (synthetic and natural) is now straightforward for TE.
• Key considerations include cell penetration, incorporation of growth factors, solvent toxicity, productivity, and functional gradients.
• Significant progress has been made in addressing these challenges.

Conclusions:

• Electrospinning is a versatile and advancing technique for developing tissue engineering scaffolds.
• Ongoing research focuses on overcoming limitations related to biological integration and scalability.
• Further development promises enhanced efficacy in regenerative medicine applications.