Nanofibers for soft-tissue engineering

Abstract Soft tissue refers to those that support, connect, or surround the body’s organs. This includes muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerve, fat, fascia, and blood vessels. Soft tissues are susceptible to injuries, especially for athletes and the elderly population leading to an increase in the demand for surgeries. However, surgical intervention cannot provide full biological restoration of the tissues, resulting in scar formation rather than regeneration. Tissue engineering aims to develop tissue substitutes by employing engineered extracellular matrix (ECM), cells and factors alone or in combination to overcome limitations in tissue healing. It is expected that the demand for tissue-engineered products and approaches addresses clinically unmet needs in soft-tissue regeneration. The ultimate goal of tissue engineering is to design bioactive implanted scaffolds that mimic the native ECM of the target tissue structurally. These designed scaffolds provide the required mechanical and structural properties that aid the damaged tissue. Nanofiber matrices derived from natural and synthetic materials closely mimic the natural ECM structurally and compositionally. These matrices provide large surface area to volume ratio and adjustable pore dimeter and mechanical strength to enable the soft-tissue repair and subsequent soft-tissue regeneration. Therefore, nanofiber matrices are popularly used for a variety of tissue engineering applications.