Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
To date, although existing polymeric materials have been investigated for
tissue engineering, there is no single biodegradable polymer that meets all the
requirements for biomedical scaffolds. Thus, the design and preparation of
multicomponent polymer systems is necessary in order to develop innovative
multifunctional biomaterials. One of the newest ways to do this is to introduce
nanostructures in biodegradable polymer matrices to obtain nanocomposites
that have specific and improved properties that can be used in tissue engineer-
ing. The basic components of cells and tissues are at the nanoscale, and there-
fore, the knowledge of nanobiology and application of nanotechnology in tissue
engineering (TE) may be the best approach in bringing the needed improve-
ments. 220 Nanomaterials hold promise in the development of new systems that
mimic the complex, hierarchical structure of the native tissue. The combination
of nanotechnology, nanobiology, and molecular biology may be used to address
some biomedical problems that may revolutionize the field of health care and
medicine. 221 Just like nanotechnology which involves materials that possess at
least one physical dimension in the nanometer range, many biological compo-
nents, such as DNA and proteins, involve nanodimensionality making nano-
technology and nanomaterials of great interest for tissue engineering.
The success of bone tissue engineering for the development of viable substi-
tutes that can restore and maintain the function of human bone tissues depends
on the design of the scaffolds. 222 The materials for such scaffolds are polymer-
based composite scaffolds containing micro- and nanostructures that could pro-
vide a platform influencing osteoblastic cell adhesion, spreading, proliferation,
and differentiation. Due to large surface area, better osteointegrative property,
and mechanical reliability, osteoblasts may adhere strongly to the nanostruc-
tures than microstructures. Other factors such as pore size, surface topography
and roughness, protein adsorption and wettability of nanostructures, and their
interaction with cell-surface integrin molecules are additional factors that may
influence tissue engineering success. A better understanding of the interactions
of nanostructures with osteoblastic cells are important to understand potential
applications in the regeneration of bone. Recently, a variety of nanocomposites
based on polyester and carbon nanostructures have been explored for potential
use as scaffold materials. 127,223,224
A few studies have been reported on the impact of NMs on TE. Iron oxide
superparamagnetic nanoparticles and quantum dots have been used to track the
biodistribution of cells. 225 Carbon nanomaterials, in particular, have the potential
for multiple uses in tissue engineering 225 as well as polymer nanocomposites. 127
Polymer nanocomposites are the result of the combination of polymers and
inorganic/organic fillers at the nanometer scale. 227,228 The enhanced mechani-
cal and functional properties of the nanocomposites results from the interac-
tion between the nanostructures and the polymer matrix. A continuous increase
in studies for the improvement of nanocomposite material properties using
nanosized engineered structures make use of the inherent high surface area to
volume ratio of nanomaterials. 229 Nanocomposites show an excellent balance
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