Tissue engineering scaffolds polymers

PGA was one of the very first degradable polymers ever investigated for biomedical use. PGA found favor as a degradable suture, and has been actively used since 1970 [45 -7]. Because PGA is poorly soluble in many common solvents, limited research has been conducted with PGA-based drug delivery devices. Instead, most recent research has focused on short-term tissue engineering scaffolds. PGA is often fabricated into a mesh network and has been used as a scaffold for bone [48-51], cartilage [52-54], tendon [55, 56], and tooth [57]. 

Biodegradable polymers have found other applications that have been commercialised or are under investigation. Anastomosis rings have been developed as an alternative to suturing for intestinal resection. Tissue staples have also replaced sutures in certain procedures. Other applications currently under scrutiny include ligating clips, vascular grafts, stents, and tissue engineering scaffolds. 

These polymers are of increasing utility and are good examples of the cellular requirement for water in tissue engineering scaffolds. Polypho-sphazenes are degradable polymers that have been functionalized with a variety of biomolecules such as peptides and growth factors. ... 

Ramdhanie LI et al (2006) Thermal and mechanical characterization of electrospun blends of poly(lactic acid) and poly(glycolic acid). Polym J 38(11) 1137-1145 Barnes CP et al (2007) Nanofiber technology designing the next generation of tissue engineering scaffolds. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 59(14) 1413—1433... 

Keywords Biocompatible polymer Delivery or release control Electrospirming Enzyme immobilization Tissue engineering scaffold Wound dressing... 

Whitaker MJ, Quirk RA, Howdle SM, Shakesheff KM. Growth factor release from tissue engineering scaffolds. J Pharm Pharmacol 2001 53 1427-1437. Howdle SM, Watson MS, Whitaker MJ, Popov VK, Davies MC, Mandel FS, Wang JD, Shakesheff KM. Supercritical fiuid mixing preparation of thermally sensitive polymer composites containing bioactive materials. Chem Commun 2001 109-110. 

Examples of biomaterials include sodium hyaluronate, a naturally occurring biopol3nner used to reduce the incidence of postsurgical adhesions polymer-based materials for controlled-drug release and tissue engineered scaffolds to... 

Schmidt, J. (2012) Multifunctional bioactive polymers for the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds and the treatment of tissue ischemia. PhD dissertation. Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, http //hdl.handle.net/2142/32078 (accessed 11 October 2014). 

Duarte ARC, Mano JF, Reis RE (2009) Perspectives on supercritical fluid technology for 3D tissue engineering scaffold applications. J Bioact Compat Polym 24 385 00... 

Kong L, Gao Y, Lu G et al (2006) A study on the bioactivity of chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Eur Polym J 42 3171-3179... 

Nitschke, M. Schmack, G. Janke, A. Simon, R Pleul, D. and Werner, C. Low pressure plasma treatment of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) toward tailored polymer surfaces for tissue engineering scaffolds. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 2002, 59(4), 632-638. 

Phase separation is another method that can be employed for the preparation of nanoscale sttucmres and is frequently used to prepare three-dimensional tissue-engineering scaffolds. Phase separation of a polymer solution can produce a polymer-rich domain and a solvent-rich domain and this morphology can be fixed by quenching under low temperamre conditions. 

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