Biomaterial approaches for cardiovascular tissue engineering

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death. As a possible remedy, the field of cardiac tissue engineering has emerged as a regenerative medicine approach to develop bioartificial tissue constructs that can be implanted in order to provide support to the damaged heart tissue and restore function. Currently, there is a dire clinical need for suitable biomaterials that allow for cardiac graft integration, remodeling, and endogenous tissue regeneration. A range of biomaterial strategies can be used to address this need, by incorporating natural or synthetic materials to create tissue mimics such as vascular grafts, heart valves, and cardiac patches. Cardiovascular tissue engineering mainly relies on developing biodegradable polymeric scaffolds, often supplemented with biomolecules or natural proteins, to imitate the extracellular matrix architecture and biochemical composition of native tissues, while promoting tissue integration and regeneration. Considering the highly complex architecture of targeted cardiovascular tissues, there is a need for high-precision manufacturing techniques to generate cardiac grafts in a reproducible fashion. While methods such as 3D casting, electrospinning, and self-assembly have been traditionally used in the field, several new entrants, such as additive manufacturing (3D bioprinting) techniques, have shown great promise. This review is aimed at assessing the current state of the art of biomaterials and manufacturing techniques used in cardiovascular tissue engineering.