Abstract
Over the past decades, age-related pathologies have increased abreast the aging population worldwide. The increased age of the population indicates that new tools, such as biomaterials/scaffolds for damaged tissues, which display high efficiency, effectively and in a limited period of time, for the regeneration of the body's tissue are needed. Indeed, scaffolds can be used as templates for three-dimensional tissue growth in order to promote the tissue healing stimulating the body's own regenerative mechanisms. In tissue engineering, several types of biomaterials are employed, such as bioceramics including calcium phosphates, bioactive glasses, and glass–ceramics. These scaffolds seem to have a high potential as biomaterials in regenerative medicine. In addition, in conjunction with other materials, such as polymers, ceramic scaffolds may be used to manufacture composite scaffolds characterized by high biocompatibility, mechanical efficiency and load-bearing capabilities that render these biomaterials suitable for regenerative medicine applications. Usually, bioceramics have been used to repair hard tissues, such as bone and dental defects. More recently, in the field of soft tissue engineering, this form of scaffold has also shown promising applications. Indeed, soft tissues are continuously exposed to damages, such as burns or mechanical traumas, tumors and degenerative pathology, and, thereby, thousands of people need remedial interventions such as biomaterials-based therapies. It is known that scaffolds can affect the ability to bind, proliferate and differentiate cells similar to those of autologous tissues. Therefore, it is important to investigate the interaction between bioceramics and somatic/stem cells derived from soft tissues in order to promote tissue healing. Biomimetic scaffolds are frequently employed as drug-delivery system using several therapeutic molecules to increase their biological performance, leading to ultimate products with innovative functionalities. This review provides an overview of essential requirements for soft tissue engineering biomaterials. Data on recent progresses of porous bioceramics and composites for tissue repair are also presented.
Highlights
The use of biomaterials for regeneration of tissues damaged by traumatic or pathological lesions is today well-established as a promising therapeutic approach, thanks to the ability of biomaterials with appropriate composition, textured structure and bio-competent mechanical performance, to instruct and guide endogenous or previously seeded stem cells toward appropriate differentiation and new tissue formation and remodeling
Due to its composition, which resembles the inorganic bone tissue, hydroxyapatite (HA) is a material with multiple potential uses that can be developed as nanoparticles or assembled into nanostructures functioning as scaffolds with physical, chemical, mechanical and biological features tailored for different tissue targets, for hard tissue regeneration
Previous results obtained by some investigators have suggested that the use of bioactive glasses (BGs) in nerve tissue engineering is promising since it presents an improvement in nerve damage regeneration and repair, which is significantly higher compared to traditional scaffolds or care, while at the same time they allow axonal growth in the employed cells
Summary
Elisa Mazzoni 1, Maria Rosa Iaquinta 1, Carmen Lanzillotti 1, Chiara Mazziotta 1, Martina Maritati 1, Monica Montesi 2, Simone Sprio 2, Anna Tampieri 2, Mauro Tognon 1*† and Fernanda Martini 1*†. The increased age of the population indicates that new tools, such as biomaterials/scaffolds for damaged tissues, which display high efficiency, effectively and in a limited period of time, for the regeneration of the body’s tissue are needed. Scaffolds can be used as templates for three-dimensional tissue growth in order to promote the tissue healing stimulating the body’s own regenerative mechanisms. Several types of biomaterials are employed, such as bioceramics including calcium phosphates, bioactive glasses, and glass–ceramics. These scaffolds seem to have a high potential as biomaterials in regenerative medicine. This review provides an overview of essential requirements for soft tissue engineering biomaterials. Data on recent progresses of porous bioceramics and composites for tissue repair are presented
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