11 - Nanofiber composites in skin tissue engineering

Abstract

This chapter presents important approaches related to skin substitutes and graft applications, starting with an explanation of skin morphology. It is also important to mention the most common types of skin disorder: diabetic foot and ulceration, burns, wounds, and melanoma cancer. The wound healing process and rapid medical intervention is imperative to the patient’s survival rate. Therefore, to optimize the wound healing process, many types of skin graft have been done to date. The skin grafts can be either autografts, allografts, allogeneic, or xenogeneic. Through tissue engineering, it is possible to develop and approach wounds in a better manner, achieving successful wound healing processes, relief from pain and discomfort to the patients, and enhanced tissue regeneration. A method often used to achieve these properties is to develop nanofibers made from biocompatible materials which promote tissue adhesion, transport of nutrients and oxygen for cellular ingrowth, and better vascularization of injured sites, and the crucial characteristic is that these materials should possess a good biodegradation rate and not present relevant toxicity to the living tissue. Scaffold produced by the electrospinning process is a strategy to promote tissue formation. Polymeric nanofibers are well suited to this kind of application: they can be used to deliver mechanical stimuli or biochemicals, supporting tissue growth. Polymeric nanofibers display unique mechanical properties, which are useful for modulating cell behavior as well providing adequate strength and tension to the cells seeded into the scaffolds.