Modified poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-based scaffolds in tissue engineering applications: A review

As a member of the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs) family, Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) has attracted much attention for a variety of medical applications because of its desirable properties such as high biocompatibility, nontoxic degradation products and high mechanical strength in comparison to other polymers in different fields including tissue engineering. There are different approaches such as making PHB alloy scaffolds, using PHB as a coating for ceramic-based scaffolds and producing composite scaffolds by using a mixture of PHB with ceramic particles utilized to improve hydrophobicity, degradation rate and brittleness. In this review, different applications of PHB, its alloys and composites in tissue engineering are explained based on the common methods of fabrication such as polymeric sponge replication, electrospinning and salt leaching.