Recent regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies (using cells, scaffolds, medical devices and gene therapy) have led to fascinating progress of translation of basic research towards clinical applications. In the past decade, great deal of research has focused on developing various three dimensional (3D) organs, such as bone, skin, liver, kidney and ear, using such strategies in order to replace or regenerate damaged organs for the purpose of maintaining or restoring organs' functions that may have been lost due to aging, accident or disease. The surface properties of a material or a device are key aspects in determining the success of the implant in biomedicine, as the majority of biological reactions in human body occur on surfaces or interfaces. Furthermore, it has been established in the literature that cell adhesion and proliferation are, to a great extent, influenced by the micro- and nano-surface characteristics of biomaterials and devices. In addition, it has been shown that the functions of stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells in particular, could be regulated through physical interaction with specific nanotopographical cues. Therefore, guided stem cell proliferation, differentiation and function are of great importance in the regeneration of 3D tissues and organs using tissue engineering strategies. This review will provide an update on the impact of nanotopography on mesenchymal stem cells for the purpose of developing laboratory-based 3D organs and tissues, as well as the most recent research and case studies on this topic.
BACKGROUNDStatistical reports show that every year around the world approximately 15 million bone fractures occur; of which up to 10% fail to heal completely and hence lead to complications of non-union healing. In the past, autografts or allografts were used as the “gold standard” of treating such defects. However, due to various limitations and risks associated with these sources of bone grafts, other avenues have been extensively investigated through which bone tissue engineering; in particular engineering of synthetic bone graft substitutes, has been recognised as a promising alternative to the traditional methods.METHODSA selective literature search was performed.RESULTSBone tissue engineering offers unlimited supply, eliminated risk of disease transmission and relatively low cost. It could also lead to patient specific design and manufacture of implants, prosthesis and bone related devices. A potentially promising building block for a suitable scaffold is synthetic nanohydroxyapatite incorporated into synthetic polymers. Incorporation of nanohydroxyapatite into synthetic polymers has shown promising bioactivity, osteoconductivity, mechanical properties and degradation profile compared to other techniques previously considered.CONCLUSIONScientific research, through extensive physiochemical characterisation, in vitro and in vivo assessment has brought together the optimum characteristics of nanohydroxyapatite and various types of synthetic polymers in order to develop nanocomposites of suitable nature for bone tissue engineering. The aim of the present article is to review and update various aspects involved in incorporation of synthetic nanohydroxyapatite into synthetic polymers, in terms of their potentials to promote bone growth and regeneration in vitro, in vivo and consequently in clinical applications.
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