Aloe-vera-based biopolymeric composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: A review

Abstract

From, ancient times, aloe-vera (AV) has been identified as an extraordinary traditional medicinal and pharmaceutical biomaterial herb. Many reports suggest that it has many biologically active components. Its bioactive compound has a well-established spectrum of effective anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, biocompatible, biodegradable, anti-diabetic, and antimicrobial properties. To get different types of desired properties like mechanical stability (compression, tensile strength, toughness, etc.), and biocompatibility, different naturally available materials (alginate, collagen, chitosan, etc.) and synthetic biopolymers (PLA, PLGA, PCL, etc.) with aloe-vera (AV) are used to synthesis biocomposites for bone scaffold. Different ceramics materials such as hydroxyapatite (Hap), calcium phosphates, B-tricalcium phosphate (b-TCP), etc. are utilized for bone implants along with naturally available materials to incorporate bioactivity which enhances bone tissue regeneration. Nowadays, aloe-vera (AV) based biopolymer composites have obtained a lot of interest in bone tissue engineering (BTE) due to their biological and physicochemical properties. There are multiple types of bone scaffold fabrication techniques, like 3D printing techniques (Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)), electrospinning techniques, etc., used in bone tissue engineering. This review outlines the current status of aloe-vera (AV) with biopolymer-based composites and their applications in bone tissue engineering (BTE).