Unconventional Biomaterials for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering

Due to a growing demand for cardiac transplants, and dearth of available compatible organ donors, cardiovascular tissue constructs are increasingly sought to improve the quality of treatment of the patients. Biomaterials that are used to produce scaffolds for tissue engineering must overcome several challenges to achieve appropriate structure and biomimetic properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical strength. The complex procedures required to manufacture biomaterials, as well as the cost associated with the production, has led to consideration of using naturally-derived unconventional biomaterials to fabricate 3D scaffolds. Due to factors such as availability, accessibility, flexibility, and low cost of the raw material, unconventional natural biomaterials such as silk, plant leaves, and paper have been evaluated for their use in cardiovascular tissue engineering. This review summarizes the use of such unconventional, naturally sourced biomaterials and their applications in cardiovascular tissue engineering.