Functional electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for biomedical applications

Abstract

Functional nanofibrous scaffolds produced by electrospinning have great potential in many biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, wound dressing, enzyme immobilization and drug (gene) delivery. For a specific successful application, the chemical, physical and biological properties of electrospun scaffolds should be adjusted to match the environment by using a combination of multi-component compositions and fabrication techniques where electrospinning has often become a pivotal tool. The property of the nanofibrous scaffold can be further improved with innovative development in electrospinning processes, such as two-component electrospinning and in-situ mixing electrospinning. Post modifications of electrospun membranes also provide effective means to render the electrospun scaffolds with controlled anisotropy and porosity. In this article, we review the materials, techniques and post modification methods to functionalize electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds suitable for biomedical applications.

Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

“…However, the lack of cellular recognition sites on synthetic polymers limits their application to tissue engineering. The natural polymers are biocompatible and possess cell recognition sites, but are difficult to electrospin in comparison to synthetic polymers and possess week mechanical properties (10). The composites of natural and synthetic polymers furnish advantages in terms of cell recognition sites, ease to electrospin and mechanical strength to the scaffold.…”

Electrospun Biomaterial for Biomedical Application

“…Currently, there are two standard electrospinning setups, vertical and horizontal. With the expansion of this technology, several research groups have developed more sophisticated systems that can fabricate more complex nanofibrous structures in a more controlled and efficient manner [38][39][40][41] . A schematic of the electrospinning process is shown in Figure 1.…”

“…antibiotic agent), within a controlled manner during healing. For electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds in biomedical applications, its physical and biological properties, such as hydrophilicity, mechanical modulus and strength, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and specific cell interactions, are largely determined by the materials' chemical compositions 29 . Based on polymer physics, copolymerization and polymer blending are two effective means to combine different polymers to yield new materials properties.…”

Crosslinking poly(allylamine) fibers electrospun from basic and acidic solutions

“…Numerous electrospun synthetic polymers: poly(lacticco-glycolic acid) (PLGA), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) have demonstrated potential for tissue regeneration [2][3][4][5][6]. Additionally, further tailoring of the mats can elicit specific biological responses, for example, encapsulation of antibiotics for sustained release or fiber alignment to direct neurite growth [6,7].…”

“…Additionally, further tailoring of the mats can elicit specific biological responses, for example, encapsulation of antibiotics for sustained release or fiber alignment to direct neurite growth [6,7]. Despite these recent advances with electrospun fibers, synthetic polymer selection and mats fabricated using green solvents still remain a key challenge toward advancing mat applicability in tissue engineering applications [5,[8][9][10].…”