The need for hierarchical scaffolds in bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Introduction Recently, the focus of tissue engineer- ing has shifted towards the develop- ment of biomimetic scaffolds. The ability of a scaffold to succeed as a template for cells depends on the microenvironment it provides for them and how closely it matches the structure of the target tissue. Many tissues, including that of bone, are hierarchical constructs; therefore, a successful scaffold fabrication requires knowledge of this hierarchi- cal design. In this review, the need for such hierarchical scaffolds for bone and how, at each level, it can affect the design and processing of scaf- fold for bone tissue engineering are discussed. Conclusion Hierarchical design of a scaffold has the potential to mimic the structure of highly complex tissues such as bone tissue and create templates most suit- able for tissue engineering