Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
are potential candidates for bone tissue engineering. In another
study, hydroxyapatite (HA) has been used with
β
-tricalcium phos-
phate (
β
-TCP) to develop biodegradable nano-composite porous
scaffolds.
38
β
-TCP/HAscaffoldsbuiltfromHAnanofiberswith
β
-TCP
as a matrix were used to fabricate porous scaffolds by a technique
that integrated the gel-casting technique with the polymer sponge
method.
38
In vitro
results demonstrated that incorporation of HA
nanofibers as a second component in
β
-TCP significantly increased
the mechanical strength of the porous composite scaffolds. This
study introduced nano-composites with HA nanofibers as a promis-
ingscaffoldingsystemforload-bearingapplicationssuchasbonetis-
sue engineering.
12.3.7
Articular Cartilage Tissue Grafts
Cartilage degeneration caused by congenital abnormalities or dis-
ease and trauma is of great clinical consequence, given the limited
intrinsic healing potential of the tissue. Because of the lack of blood
supply and subsequent wound-healing response, damage to carti-
lage alone, or chondral lesions, results in an incomplete attempt
at repair by local chondrocytes. Full-thickness articular cartilage
damage, or osteochondral lesions, allows for a normal inflamma-
tory response but results in inferior fibrocartilage formation. To
prevent progressive joint degeneration in diseases such as
osteoarthritis, surgical intervention is often the only option. In spite
ofthesuccessoftotaljointreplacement,treatmentsforrepairofcar-
tilage damage are often less than satisfactory and rarely restore full
function or return the tissue to its native normal state. The rapidly
emerging field of tissue engineering holds great promise for the
generation of functional tissue substitutes, including cartilage, by
engineering tissue constructs
in vitro
for subsequent implantation
in vivo
. The basic principle is to utilize a biocompatible, struc-
turally and mechanically sound scaffold that is seeded with an
appropriate cell source and is loaded with bioactive molecules to
promotecellulardifferentiationand/ormaturation.Althoughrecent
progress has been made in engineering cartilage of various shapes
and sizes for cosmetic purposes, the challenges of engineering a
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