Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
nanofibrous scaffolds were then studied for release kinetics and
bioactivity of the released proteins under physiological condi-
tions. The results demonstrated that intact protein/enzyme was
continuously released from both the nanofiber types and their
bioactivity was preserved after release from the nanofibrous
scaffolds. All the above studies demonstrated the potential of
nanofibers as controlled delivery systems and hence demanded
exploration at greater depth to enable this technology to benefit the
patient.
12.4 Conclusions
Electrospinningoffersarapidandconvenientwayofproducingscaf-
folds with nano-scale elements and has been utilized across a broad
range of polymer systems and tissue engineering endeavors. Elec-
trospinning allows the tissue engineer to specifically tailor materi-
als to each specific application and cellular environment. However,
it remains largely unknown what the best fiber diameter or inter-
fiber distance is to optimize cell function. This is confounded by the
fact that 3D electrospun nanofibrous environments are quite com-
plex, and by changing a dimension such as fiber diameter or align-
ment, you automatically change the interfiber distance, which can
influence cell migration. The underlying mechanisms for enhanced
cellular response to nanostructures are only now beginning to be
realized by using highly regular and reproducible nanostructured
surfaces. However, transferring lessons learned from these model
systems over to highly complex 3D electrospun scaffolds is the
next step for the advancement of the electrospinning technique
for tissue engineering. The need for improving the biomechanical
properties of electrospun scaffolds is paramount and is a major
obstacle currently tissue engineers face. As fiber diameter and sur-
face functionalization have been shown to effect cell differentiation,
gradient fiber scaffolds (through the depth of the scaffolds) could
readily be produced using electrospinning to regenerate more com-
plex tissue structures. These remarkable properties, combined with
specific surface chemistry, provide cells with a 3D in vivo environ-
ment. Efforts are being made to improve mechanical properties of
 
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