Nano-featured scaffolds for tissue engineering: A review of spinning methodologies

Abstract

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that is rapidly emerging as a promising new approach in the restoration and reconstruction of imperfect tissues. In this approach, scaffolds play a pivotal role in supporting the cells to accommodate and guide their growth into a specific tissue; therefore, designing scaffolds that are favorable to cellular growth is of great importance. Electrospinning is a straightforward, cost-effective, and versatile technique that has been applied recently for the fabrication of nano-featured scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering. By mimicking a natural extracellular matrix, it offers many advantages over conventional scaffold methodologies. This paper reviews the current state of art of designing nanostructure scaffolds by using the electrospinning technique. Furthermore, an overview of this technique and its spinning mechanism is described, with special attention to areas of interest to the readers. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.