Current Trend and New Opportunities for Multifunctional Bio-Scaffold Fabrication via High-Pressure Foaming

Abstract

Biocompatible and biodegradable foams prepared using the high-pressure foaming technique have been widely investigated in recent decades as porous scaffolds for in vitro and in vivo tissue growth. In fact, the foaming process can operate at low temperatures to load bioactive molecules and cells within the pores of the scaffold, while the density and pore architecture, and, hence, properties of the scaffold, can be finely modulated by the proper selection of materials and processing conditions. Most importantly, the high-pressure foaming of polymers is an ideal choice to limit and/or avoid the use of cytotoxic and tissue-toxic compounds during scaffold preparation. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with the state of the art and current trend in the high-pressure foaming of biomedical polymers and composites towards the design and fabrication of multifunctional scaffolds for tissue engineering. This manuscript describes the application of the gas foaming process for bio-scaffold design and fabrication and highlights some of the most interesting results on: (1) the engineering of porous scaffolds featuring biomimetic porosity to guide cell behavior and to mimic the hierarchical architecture of complex tissues, such as bone; (2) the bioactivation of the scaffolds through the incorporation of inorganic fillers and drugs.

Recent Advances in Scaffolds for Guided Bone Regeneration

“…This characterization is based on the development of a blowing agent into the polymeric matrix. In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, chemical foaming is prohibited due to the residues inside the polymeric matrix that may influence the scaffold’s biocompatibility [ 163 ]. Alternatively, physical foaming utilizes blowing agents, including N 2 and CO 2 , at a high pressure to saturate the polymer disks [ 164 ].…”

“…Alternatively, physical foaming utilizes blowing agents, including N 2 and CO 2 , at a high pressure to saturate the polymer disks [ 164 ]. This high pressure is later reduced, resulting in a thermodynamic instability and the formation of a 3D porous polymer structure is achieved [ 163 , 164 ]. Scaffolds with a pore size of approximately 100μm and up to 93% porosity but with poor interconnectivity could be fabricated through this method [ 164 , 165 ].…”