Mechanical Properties and Morphological Alterations in Fiber-Based Scaffolds Affecting Tissue Engineering Outcomes

Authors

James Dolgin, Materic LLC
Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Stephen Farias, Materic LLC
Carl G. Simon, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Smitha Rao, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-29-2023

Department

Department of Biomedical Engineering; Health Research Institute; Great Lakes Research Center; Department of Biological Sciences

Abstract

Electrospinning is a versatile tool used to produce highly customizable nonwoven nanofiber mats of various fiber diameters, pore sizes, and alignment. It is possible to create electrospun mats from synthetic polymers, biobased polymers, and combinations thereof. The post-processing of the end products can occur in many ways, such as cross-linking, enzyme linking, and thermal curing, to achieve enhanced chemical and physical properties. Such multi-factor tunability is very promising in applications such as tissue engineering, 3D organs/organoids, and cell differentiation. While the established methods involve the use of soluble small molecules, growth factors, stereolithography, and micro-patterning, electrospinning involves an inexpensive, labor un-intensive, and highly scalable approach to using environmental cues, to promote and guide cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. By influencing cell morphology, mechanosensing, and intracellular communication, nanofibers can affect the fate of cells in a multitude of ways. Ultimately, nanofibers may have the potential to precisely form whole organs for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cellular agriculture, as well as to create in vitro microenvironments. In this review, the focus will be on the mechanical and physical characteristics such as porosity, fiber diameter, crystallinity, mechanical strength, alignment, and topography of the nanofiber scaffolds, and the impact on cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation.

Publisher's Statement

Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11050039

Publication Title

Fibers

Recommended Citation

Dolgin, J., Nagam Hanumantharao, S., Farias, S., Simon, C., & Rao, S. (2023). Mechanical Properties and Morphological Alterations in Fiber-Based Scaffolds Affecting Tissue Engineering Outcomes. Fibers, 11(5). http://doi.org/10.3390/fib11050039
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/17260

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Version

Publisher's PDF