Electrospinning of Polysaccharides for Tissue Engineering Applications
Daria N. Poshina, Irina V. Tyshkunova, В. А. Петрова, Yury А. Skorik
Abstract
Abstract Electrospinning is a productive, easy-to-design, and efficient method of producing polymer nanofibers with diameters ranging from hundreds of nanometers to a few micrometers. These dimensions make it possible to mimic the extracellular matrix of tissues quite closely, while the mild electrospinning conditions enable the use of biopolymers, including polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are attractive polymers for tissue engineering because of their unique properties, including biocompatibility, bioresorbability, interaction with cells by signaling mechanisms, ease of chemical modification, and availability. Many polysaccharides (e.g., sodium alginate, cellulose, chitin, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and starch) have been used to obtain nonwoven materials by electrospinning. The major difficulty in electrospinning of polysaccharides remains their low spinnability; therefore, various carrier polymers, cosolvents, and additives are used to resolve this problem when preparing solutions for electrospinning. In this review, we consider the properties of polysaccharides as materials for tissue engineering, the main approaches to the electrospinning of polysaccharides, the factors affecting the process of electrospinning, and the use of polysaccharide matrices for the regeneration of soft tissues, nerves, bone tissue, cartilage and tendons, blood vessels, skin, and muscles.