Incorporation of inorganic bioceramics into electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering applications: A review

Abstract

Today, the integration of medical and engineering principles for producing biological replacements has attracted much attention. Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field introduced for recovery, preservation, and improvement of tissues' function. During the process of reproduction, scaffolds with the support of cells and biological materials and growth factors underlie the effective regeneration of the target tissue. Among the numerous methods, the electrospinning method has the great ability to mimic the extracellular matrix by creating a network of polymer fibers with a high surface area at the nanoscale in order to provide more binding sites for cells. Considering the capabilities and limitations of different polymers, the use of ceramics as a reinforcement phase is a promising approach. Over the past few decades, electrospun scaffolds have been developed by adding different ceramics in terms of their nature, bioinert, bioactive, and biodegradable properties. The main results are related to enhancing the mechanical properties and biological behavior of the polymeric scaffolds after the incorporation of ceramics. Enhanced hydrophilicity, antibacterial and antioxidant properties are other aspects caused by chemical interactions of ceramics and polymers. In this review, the effect of adding inorganic ceramic structures incorporated into polymeric electrospun scaffolds is discussed by highlighting the most recent studies in tissue engineering applications.