Overview of Electrospinning for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

Tissue engineering (TE) is an emerging field of study that incorporates the principles of biology, medicine, and engineering for designing biological substitutes to maintain, restore, or improve tissue functions with the goal of avoiding organ transplantation. Amongst the various scaffolding techniques, electrospinning is one of the most widely used techniques to synthesise a nanofibrous scaffold. Electrospinning as a potential tissue engineering scaffolding technique has attracted a great deal of interest and has been widely discussed in many studies. The high surface-to-volume ratio of nanofibres, coupled with their ability to fabricate scaffolds that may mimic extracellular matrices, facilitates cell migration, proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation. These are all very desirable properties for TE applications. However, despite its widespread use and distinct advantages, electrospun scaffolds suffer from two major practical limitations: poor cell penetration and poor load-bearing applications. Furthermore, electrospun scaffolds have low mechanical strength. Several solutions have been offered by various research groups to overcome these limitations. This review provides an overview of the electrospinning techniques used to synthesise nanofibres for TE applications. In addition, we describe current research on nanofibre fabrication and characterisation, including the main limitations of electrospinning and some possible solutions to overcome these limitations.

Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Laden Nanocomposite Scaffolds Enhance Bone Regeneration in Rabbit Critical-Size Segmental Bone Defect Model

“…Electrospinning is a versatile and widely used technique in the field of tissue engineering, particularly for creating scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. The process involves the use of an electric field to draw a charged polymer solution or melt it into ultrafine fibers, which are then deposited onto a collector to form a non-woven mesh-like structure [ 53 ].…”

“…Additionally, the nanofibrous architecture of electrospun scaffolds can enhance nutrient diffusion, waste removal, and the exchange of signaling molecules, promoting tissue ingrowth and vascularization. This versatility and scalability make electrospinning a valuable tool for fabricating customized scaffolds tailored to specific applications in bone tissue engineering, including bone defect repair, bone graft substitutes, and drug delivery systems [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ].…”

Exploring Electrospun Scaffold Innovations in Cardiovascular Therapy: A Review of Electrospinning in Cardiovascular Disease

“…The main aim of scaffold production in tissue engineering is to replicate the natural extracellular matrix on a nanoscale to create a conducive environment for cell growth and attachment. To achieve this goal, innovative methods have been devised for crafting three-dimensional scaffolds using biomaterials [ 20 ].…”

Cross-linking electrospinning

“…In 2009, Torres-Giner et al prepared cross-linked collagen nanofibers with a cross-linking degree of 57.1%, leading to excellent water resistance. 29,101 Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is hydrophobic, resulting in poor cell adhesion, which limits its applicability in biological tissue engineering. In 2013, Li et al 102 produced hydrophilic CS-graft-PLGA fibers with a water contact angle of 64.0°, while the water contact angle of the pure PLGA nanofibers was 112.0°.…”