Abstract
Hollow organs and tissue systems drive various functions in the body. Many of these hollow or tubular systems, such as vasculature, the intestines, and the trachea, are common targets for tissue engineering, given their relevance to numerous diseases and body functions. As the field of tissue engineering has developed, numerous benchtop models have been produced as platforms for basic science and drug testing. Production of tubular scaffolds for different tissue engineering applications possesses many commonalities, such as the necessity for producing an intact tubular opening and for formation of semi-permeable epithelia or endothelia. As such, the field has converged on a series of manufacturing techniques for producing these structures. In this review, we discuss some of the most common tissue engineered applications within the context of tubular tissues and the methods by which these structures can be produced. We provide an overview of the general structure and anatomy for these tissue systems along with a series of general design criteria for tubular tissue engineering. We categorize methods for manufacturing tubular scaffolds as follows: casting, electrospinning, rolling, 3D printing, and decellularization. We discuss state-of-the-art models within the context of vascular, intestinal, and tracheal tissue engineering. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the future for these fields.
Highlights
Function of the human body is dependent on tubular tissues and tissue structures
As may be expected given the broad assortment of functions associated with tubular tissues, these structures are susceptible to a variety of diseases and traumas
Significant focus has been placed on the generation of models of tubular systems for studies in disease, basic science, and drug discovery/efficacy
Summary
Function of the human body is dependent on tubular tissues and tissue structures. These tissues, including vasculature, the intestines, the trachea, and many others, serve various roles in the body, ranging from absorption of nutrients to transport of oxygen. Tissue Engineering Tubular Scaffolds a set of barrier-forming cells, called an epithelium (or endothelium in the case of vasculature) This structure functions to separate the internal contents of the lumen from the surrounding tissues and organs, while allowing selective permeation and transport across the epithelium. We have chosen to highlight vasculature, intestines, and the trachea, as these applications are some of the most widely researched in terms of generation of tubular tissue engineered models (Bitar and Raghavan, 2012; Seifu et al, 2013; Hendow et al, 2016; Law et al, 2016) These systems possess various functions that differentiate them from one another with respect to design.
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