Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
(Deitzel.et.al.,.2001;.Huang.et.al.,.2003;.Katti.et.al.,.2004;.Barhate.et.al.,.2006;.Ndreu.et.al.,.
2008;.Wang.J.et.al.,.2009)..Therefore,.optimization.of.the.process.conditions.in.order.to.get.
the.best.results.is.challenging.with.so.many.parameters.
Finally,.it.can.be.said.that.compared.to.the.other.nano/microiber-production.methods,.
electrospinning. is. more. economical,. simpler,. yields. continuous. ibers,. and. is. versatile.
enough.to.be.used.for.the.production.of.nanoibers.from.a.variety.of.materials..Therefore,.
electrospinning. represents. an. attractive. technique. to. be. used. for. producing. nanoiber-
based.scaffolds.for.tissue.engineering.
10.5 Nano/MicrofibersinTissueEngineeringApplications
The.use.of.polymeric.nano/microibers.in.tissue.engineering.applications.is.rapidly.grow-
ing..The.main.areas.include.the.engineering.of.skin.(Venugopal.and.Ramakrishna,.2005;.
Noh. et. al.,. 2006;. Yang. X. et. al.,. 2009;. Jeong. et. al.,. 2009;. Torres. et. al.,. 2009),. ligament. and.
tendon.(Petrigliano.et.al.,.2006;.Teh.et.al.,.2007,.2008;.Sahoo.et.al.,.2009;.Fan.et.al.,.2009;.Yin.
et.al.,.2009),.skeletal.muscle.(Riboldi.et.al.,.2005;.Choi.et.al.,.2008),.cartilage.(Li.WJ.et.al.,.
2005;.Li.et.al.,.2006;.Janjanin.et.al.,.2008;.Lu.et.al.,.2008;.Hu.et.al.,.2009),.bone.(Santos.et.al.,.
2008;.Zhang.et.al.,.2008;.Reed.et.al.,.2009;.Wang.J.et.al.,.2011;.Prabhakaran.et.al.,.2009),.car-
diovascular.(Kenar.et.al.,.2009;.Rockwood.et.al.,.2008;.Li.WJ.et.al.,.2006),.and.nerve.(Yucel.
et.al.,.2010;.Neal.et al.,.2009;.Nisbet.et.al.,.2008;.Corey.et.al.,.2007).tissues..The.increase.in.
the.number.of.review.articles.(Ashammakhi.et.al.,.2007a,.2007b,.2008;.Agarwal.et.al.,.2009;.
Jang.et.al.,.2009).and.publications.related.to.the.application.of.nano/microibers.in.these.
ields.shows.the.interest.in.electrospinning.for.tissue.engineering..In.this.review.we.will.
concentrate.more.on.the.studies.carried.out.by.our.research.group,.and.also.by.some.of.the.
leading.researchers.in.the.ields.of.bone,.cardiovascular,.and.nerve.tissue.engineering.
10.5.1 Bone Tissue Engineering
Prior.to.designing.a.bone.substitute.or.a.tissue-engineered.bone,.it.is.important.to.know.
well.the.structure.and.function.of.the.natural.bone.so.that.the.material.type.chosen.is.the.
most.suitable.to.regenerate.the.function.of.the.damaged.bone..Bone.is.a.complex,.physically.
hard,.rigid,.and.highly.organized.tissue..This.tissue.is.composed.of.an.intracellular.matrix.
in.a.ibrous.form.made.mainly.of.collagen.types.I.and.V,.and.some.inorganic.materials..
Apart. from. the. major. collagen. matrix,. some. other. noncollageneous. proteins,. like. osteo-
calcin. and. osteopontin,. are. also. present.. There. are. three. cell. types. present. in. the. bone.
structure:.osteoblasts,.osteocytes,.and.osteoclasts..Osteoblasts,.derived.from.mesenchymal.
precursor.cells.in.the.marrow,.are.the.bone.cells.responsible.for.formation.and.structural.
organization.of.the.bone.matrix,.and.also.bone.mineralization..When.osteoblasts.become.
trapped.in.the.matrix,.they.secrete.and.become.osteocytes..Osteocytes.are.the.most.abun-
dant.cells.found.in.compact.bone..They.are.networked.to.each.other.via.long.cytoplasmic.
extensions.that.occupy.tiny.canals.called.canaliculi,.which.are.used.for.exchange.of.nutri-
ents.and.waste..The.space.that.an.osteocyte.occupies.is.called.a.lacuna..Unlike.osteoblasts,.
these.cells.have.reduced.synthetic.activity.and.are.not.capable.of.mitotic.division..They.are.
actively.involved.in.the.turnover.of.bony.matrix,.through.various.mechanosensory.mech-
anisms..They.destroy.bone.through.a.mechanism.called.osteocytic.osteolysis..The.third.
bone.cell.type,.osteoclasts,.are.polarized.cells.and.have.a.crucial.role.in.bone.resorption,.
