Advances in Natural Polymer-Based Electrospun Nanomaterials for Soft Tissue Engineering

Abstract

AbstractElectrospinning emerged as a widely accepted method in soft tissue engineering due to its simplicity, versatility, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. The polymeric scaffolds produced by electrospinning can mimic extracellular matrix due to the high surface area, enhanced porosity, and tailored morphology and orientation. Natural and synthetic polymers are used to develop electrospun micro/nanofibrous scaffolds that form excellent cell adhesion frameworks, proliferation, and differentiation in the biological environment. However, natural polymers have the edge over synthetic counterparts in cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility, enhanced cell adhesion, high tensile strength, and biodegradability. During last two decades, soft tissue engineering has witnessed substantial developments in scaffold fabrication. Still, electrospun micro/nanofibrous scaffolds with high elasticity, swelling capacity, controlled surface properties, and morphology are yet to be achieved. Mass production of electrospun frameworks with regulated pore size and cell infiltration structure is still in its infancy. This chapter highlights the recent advances, challenges, and future prospects of the fabrication of natural biopolymer-based electrospun scaffolds for soft tissue engineering and its physiochemical influences in the biological environment. Furthermore, impacts of electrospun scaffolds on the native cells/tissues have also been highlighted in terms of chemical and mechanical cues.KeywordsElectrospinningNanofibersNatural polymerScaffoldsSoft tissue engineering