Advancements and Future Perspectives in Cell Electrospinning and Bio‐Electrospraying

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have tried to include living cells into electrospun nanofibers or droplets, leading to the field of live cell electrospinning and bio‐electrospraying . In live cell electrospinning and bio‐electrospraying, cells are embedded in a polymer and subject to the process of mechanical and electrical stimulation of the process. The resulting nanofiber mats or droplets with embedded cells have several potential applications in tissue engineering. The nanofiber structure provides a supportive and porous environment for cells to grow and interact with their surroundings. This can be favorable for tissue regeneration, where the goal is to create functional tissues that closely mimic the extracellular matrix. However, there are also challenges associated with live cell electrospinning and electrospraying, including maintaining cell viability and uniform cell distribution within the nanofiber mat. Additionally, the electrospinning/electrospraying process can have an impact on cell behavior, phenotype, and genotype, which must be cautiously monitored and studied. Overall, the goal of this review paper is to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of the existing literature on cell electrospinning and bio‐electrospraying.

Moving lab-grown tissues into the clinic: organ-on-a-chip and bioengineered skin systems

“…Frontiers in Lab on a Chip Technologies frontiersin.org electrospinning as it negates the need for post-fabrication cell seeding (Keirouz et al, 2023;Nosoudi et al, 2023). Demonstrating the feasibility of the technique, Townsend-Nicholson and Jayasinghe ( 2006) first embedded astrocytoma cells in electrospun fibers and, following refinement of the technique, the resulting cell-laden scaffold can then be used for an array of tissue engineering applications (Eddaoudi et al, 2010).…”

“…However, there are several limitations, including difficulties in controlling cell density. Moreover, fibers placement accuracy may be reduced by the whipping phenomenon that arises during fiber generation as a result of instabilities in the expelled jet of cell suspension (Nosoudi et al, 2023;Si et al, 2023).…”

“…Electrospun nanofiber scaffolds hold interest for wound healing application as they can promote cell proliferation and differentiation due to the large, interconnected porous surface area which facilitates gas and nutrient exchange (Xu L. et al, 2022;. Since cell-electrospinning allows the inclusion of live cells in the fibrous matrix, an array of cell types have been included in electrospun scaffolds including macrophages, endothelial cells, neutrophils, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, neural stem cells, fibroblasts and keratinocytes (Hong et al, 2019;Maurmann et al, 2023;Nosoudi et al, 2023). Crosslinked, rather than axial, nanofibers may promote superior fibroblast and keratinocyte migration within a 3D environment (Wang and Cui, 2021).…”

Cell Electrospinning: Revolutionising Cell Scaffolding for Healthcare

“…Their review goes on to elucidate how these cell electrospun fibers mimic those native fibrous tissues and have a plethora of utility in the biomedical and clinical sciences. Last but certainly not least, a critical but balanced review by Nosoudi et al, [7] discusses articles in this field, while highlighting each article's, specific contribution. With each summarised article the authors review their thoughts on how those particular studies contribute to the wider implications of these cell deposition approaches while focussing on the end goal, namely the reconstruction of a 3D functional tissue.…”