Scaffold Using Chitosan, Agarose, Cellulose, Dextran and Protein for Tissue Engineering—A Review

Abstract

Biological macromolecules like polysaccharides/proteins/glycoproteins have been widely used in the field of tissue engineering due to their ability to mimic the extracellular matrix of tissue. In addition to this, these macromolecules are found to have higher biocompatibility and no/lesser toxicity when compared to synthetic polymers. In recent years, scaffolds made up of proteins, polysaccharides, or glycoproteins have been highly used due to their tensile strength, biodegradability, and flexibility. This review is about the fabrication methods and applications of scaffolds made using various biological macromolecules, including polysaccharides like chitosan, agarose, cellulose, and dextran and proteins like soy proteins, zein proteins, etc. Biopolymer-based nanocomposite production and its application and limitations are also discussed in this review. This review also emphasizes the importance of using natural polymers rather than synthetic ones for developing scaffolds, as natural polymers have unique properties, like high biocompatibility, biodegradability, accessibility, stability, absence of toxicity, and low cost.

Nanofiber Scaffolds as Drug Delivery Systems Promoting Wound Healing

“…Natural polymers suitable for the preparation of nanofibers mainly fall into two categories: polysaccharides and proteins. Polysaccharides include chitosan [ 60 ], starch [ 61 ], alginates [ 62 ], hyaluronic acid [ 63 ], and cellulose [ 64 ]; while protein-based polymers include collagen [ 65 ], gelatin [ 66 ], fibrinogen [ 67 ], silk proteins [ 68 ], sericin [ 69 ], elastin [ 70 ], keratin [ 71 ], and plant proteins [ 72 ]. Table 1 lists the polymers that can be used to prepare nanofibrous scaffolds.…”

Biomimetic mineralization of platelet lysate/oxidized dextran cryogel as a macroporous 3D composite scaffold for bone repair

“…On the other hand, dextran can also be chemically modified to incorporate amine, sulfate groups or integrin-specific molecules on the polysaccharide backbone. The polysaccharide acting as a cross-linker can increase cell adhesion properties [20] while making the PRP scaffold resemble the native extracellular matrix (ECM) [21].…”

Comprehensive Development of a Cellulose Acetate and Soy Protein-Based Scaffold for Nerve Regeneration

“…Natural polymer materials such as collagen [ 1 , 15 , 22 ], chitosan [ 15 , 23 ], silk [ 15 , 22 , 24 ], cellulose, and soy protein [ 1 , 2 , 21 , 25 ] have demonstrated great efficiency in nerve regeneration comparable to autologous nerve grafts [ 21 ]. Among the natural polymers, cellulose is the most abundant [ 21 , 26 ], and its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical properties have already been studied and adapted to different fields of tissue engineering [ 2 , 12 , 21 , 25 ].…”

“…Natural polymer materials such as collagen [ 1 , 15 , 22 ], chitosan [ 15 , 23 ], silk [ 15 , 22 , 24 ], cellulose, and soy protein [ 1 , 2 , 21 , 25 ] have demonstrated great efficiency in nerve regeneration comparable to autologous nerve grafts [ 21 ]. Among the natural polymers, cellulose is the most abundant [ 21 , 26 ], and its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical properties have already been studied and adapted to different fields of tissue engineering [ 2 , 12 , 21 , 25 ]. In recent years, the association of cellulose/isolated soy protein (ISP) has been shown to be effective in the creation of NGCs capable of promoting nerve regeneration in sciatic nerve defects measuring 10 mm in width in rats [ 21 ], and ISP scaffolds have revealed biodegradable and biocompatible properties [ 2 , 12 , 21 , 25 , 26 ] and cytocompatibility with Schwann cells [ 21 , 27 ]; in addition, soy protein provides a morphological functionalization of porosity to the scaffold [ 28 ], which provides permeability allowing the supply of nutrients and exchange of gases and could prevent scar tissue infiltration and the diffusion of growth factors outside the lumen [ 13 , 29 ].…”