Electrospun Nanofibrous Materials for Neural Tissue Engineering.docVIP

Polymers 2011, 3, 413-426; doi:10.3390/polym3010413 OPEN ACCESS polymers ISSN 2073-4360 /journal/polymers Review Electrospun Nanofibrous Materials for Neural Tissue Engineering Yee-Shuan Lee and Treena Livingston Arinzeh * Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; E-Mail: ysl723@ * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: arinzeh@; Tel.: 973-596-5269; Fax: 973-596-5222. Received: 31 December 2010; in revised form: 24 January 2011 / Accepted: 28 January 2011 / Published: 9 February 2011 Abstract: The use of biomaterials processed by the electrospinning technique has gained considerable interest for neural tissue engineering applications. The tissue engineering strategy is to facilitate the regrowth of nerves by combining an appropriate cell type with the electrospun scaffold. Electrospinning can generate fibrous meshes having fiber diameter dimensions at the nanoscale and these fibers can be nonwoven or oriented to facilitate neurite extension via contact guidance. This article reviews studies evaluating the effect of the scaffold’s architectural features such as fiber diameter and orientation on neural cell function and neurite extension. Electrospun meshes made of natural polymers, proteins and compositions having electrical activity in order to enhance neural cell function are also discussed. Keywords: electrospun; neural tissue engineering; nanofiber; stem cell; polymer 1. Introduction Central and peripheral nervous system injuries may benefit from the use of neural tissue engineering strategies that use scaffolds to facilitate the regrowth of nerves. In neurodegenerative diseases, such as alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases, the common pathological onset is the accumulation of insoluble filamentous aggregates which underlie early axonal dysfunction and pathology, leading to potentially irreversible neuron degenerat