Bilayer scaffolds/membranes for bone tissue engineering applications: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Bone tissue engineering aims to restore bone defects using scaffolds.
• Bilayer scaffolds offer distinct functionalities for improved bone regeneration.
• Evaluating their properties is crucial for clinical translation.

Approach:

• Systematic review of 39 studies (2012-2022) on bilayer scaffolds for bone regeneration.
• Literature search in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar.
• Quality assessment using SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies.

Key Points:

• Most bilayers feature a dense barrier and a porous osteogenic layer.
• Common materials include PLGA, PCL, and chitosan; electrospinning and solvent casting are frequent fabrication methods.
• Bilayer scaffolds demonstrate enhanced osteogenesis and new bone formation compared to single layers and commercial membranes.

Conclusions:

• Bilayer scaffolds significantly improve heterogeneous bone regeneration through distinct layer properties.
• Incorporating ceramics or drugs into the osteogenic layer boosts bone-forming capacity.
• Fabrication methods and pore size critically influence scaffold mechanical and biological performance.