Title:Immobilization and Application of Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffold-based Growth Factor in Bone Tissue Engineering
Volume: 21
Issue: 15
Author(s): Guobao Chen and Yonggang Lv
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Electrospinning, nanofiber, growth factor, drug delivery, immobilization, bone tissue engineering.
Abstract: Electrospun nanofibers have been extensively used in growth factor delivery and regenerative medicine
due to many advantages including large surface area to volume ratio, high porosity, excellent loading capacity,
ease of access and cost effectiveness. Their relatively large surface area is helpful for cell adhesion and growth factor
loading, while storage and release of growth factor are essential to guide cellular behaviors and tissue formation
and organization. In bone tissue engineering, growth factors are expected to transmit signals that stimulate cellular
proliferation, migration, differentiation, metabolism, apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Bolus
administration is not always an effective method for the delivery of growth factors because of their rapid diffusion
from the target site and quick deactivation. Therefore, the integration of controlled release strategy within electrospun nanofibers can
provide protection for growth factors against in vivo degradation, and can manipulate desired signal at an effective level with extended
duration in local microenvironment to support tissue regeneration and repair which normally takes a much longer time. In this review, we
provide an overview of growth factor delivery using biomimetic electrospun nanofiber scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. It begins
with a brief introduction of different kinds of polymers that were used in electrospinning and their applications in bone tissue engineering.
The review further focuses on the nanofiber-based growth factor delivery and summarizes the strategies of growth factors loading on
the nanofiber scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. The perspectives on future challenges in this area are also pointed out.
