Patterning Biomaterials for the Spatiotemporal Delivery of Bioactive Molecules

Abstract

The aim of tissue engineering is to promote the repair of functional tissues. For decades, the combined use of biomaterials, growth factors (GFs), and stem cells has been the base of several regeneration strategies. Among these, biomimicry emerged as a robust strategy to efficiently address this clinical challenge. Biomimetic materials, able to recapitulate the composition and architecture of the extracellular matrix, are the materials of choice, for their biocompatibility and higher rate of efficacy. In addition, it has become increasingly clear that restoring the complex biochemical environment of the target tissue is crucial for its regeneration. Toward this aim, the combination of scaffolds and GFs is required. The advent of nanotechnology significantly impacted the field of tissue engineering by providing new ways to reproduce the complex spatial and temporal biochemical patterns of tissues. This review will present the most recent approaches to finely control the spatiotemporal release of bioactive molecules for various tissue engineering applications.

Keywords: biomaterials; drug delivery; growth factors; patterning; tissue engineering.

Figure 1

Schematic showing a spatially patterned fibrous material functionalized with different sets of delivery systems (A), in separate compartments (B) (Minardi et al., 2014). Schematic showing the temporal patterning of a material with two sets of delivery systems (C), for the staged release of bioactive molecules (D).

Figure 2

Schematic representation of cells responding to gradient patterns: (1) cells recruitment, (2) cell adhesion on the surface of the scaffold, and (3) cell migration across scaffold thickness.