Formation of highly porous biodegradable scaffolds for tissue engineering

TLDR

Tissue engineering seeks to replace damaged organs by arranging tissue‑specific cells in three‑dimensional scaffolds, a strategy driven by the shortage of donor organs and the critical importance of scaffold material properties, including surface area for cell attachment. This review examines various pore‑forming techniques designed to increase scaffold surface area. Scaffolds were fabricated using fiber bonding, solvent casting/particulate leaching, gas foaming, and phase separation. The techniques were compared based on porosity, pore size, and their ability to promote tissue growth.

Abstract

In recent years, lack of donor organs has caused many to consider tissue engineering methods as means to replace diseased or damaged organs. This newly-emerging field uses tissue-specific cells in a three-dimensional organization, provided by a scaffolding material, to return functionality of the organ. For these applications, the choice of scaffolding material is crucial to the success of the technique. In addition to the chemical properties of the material, physical properties such as surface area for cell attachment are essential. Various methods of creating pores in these materials to increase surface area are reviewed here. Scaffolds formed using the different techniques, which include fiber bonding, solvent casting/particulate leaching, gas foaming and phase separation, are compared on the basis of porosity, pore size, and promotion of tissue growth.