Abstract
The field of tissue engineering is constantly evolving as it aims to develop bioengineered and functional tissues and organs for repair or replacement. Due to their large surface area and ability to interact with proteins and peptides, graphene oxides offer valuable physiochemical and biological features for biomedical applications and have been successfully employed for optimizing scaffold architectures for a wide range of organs, from the skin to cardiac tissue. This review critically focuses on opportunities to employ protein–graphene oxide structures either as nanocomposites or as biocomplexes and highlights the effects of carbonaceous nanostructures on protein conformation and structural stability for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Herein, recent applications and the biological activity of nanocomposite bioconjugates are analyzed with respect to cell viability and proliferation, along with the ability of these constructs to sustain the formation of new and functional tissue. Novel strategies and approaches based on stem cell therapy, as well as the involvement of the extracellular matrix in the design of smart nanoplatforms, are discussed.
Highlights
Tissue engineering comprises the efforts to create functional human tissue from the appropriate cells with the aim to cure, not merely treat, by repairing or replacing tissues or organs that fail due to illness or malfunction, genetic malformations, congenital abnormalities, or wounds and injuries
The success of tissue engineering relies on four main factors that are involved in the repair, maintenance, or restoration process of the damaged tissue: (i) the use of appropriate cells that are able to regenerate or replace tissue; (ii) a suitable environment, such as scaffolds to support cells; (iii) the appropriate biomolecules, such as growth factors able to produce healthy and productive cells; and (iv) the mechanical forces in the physical microenvironment to stimulate the development of new tissue cells
This review provides fundamental insight into protein dynamics in the presence of graphene derivatives that will contribute to designing advanced functional biomaterials for regenerative medicine
Summary
Tissue engineering ( called regenerative medicine) comprises the efforts to create functional human tissue from the appropriate cells with the aim to cure, not merely treat, by repairing or replacing tissues or organs that fail due to illness or malfunction, genetic malformations, congenital abnormalities, or wounds and injuries. Both synthetic and natural polymers have been employed for tissue engineering, and scaffold features have been proved to depend on the polymer structure and concentration, pore size, flexibility, stiffness, etc Synthetic polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) [4], polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) [5], poly (lactic-co-glycolic) (PLGA) [6], and poly ε-caprolactone (PCL) [7] have been used for the preparation of 3D scaffolds due to their adjustable porosity, mechanical performance, and degradation time. Significant efforts have been dedicated to replicating the mechanical integrity, morphology, and architecture of real natural human tissue, by developing new preparation techniques and reinforcing protein-based scaffolds with nanomaterials that mimic native tissue environments to improve tissue growth, differentiation, proliferation, cellular signaling, etc. This review provides fundamental insight into protein dynamics in the presence of graphene derivatives that will contribute to designing advanced functional biomaterials for regenerative medicine
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