Electrospun Gelatin Nanofibres—Fabrication, Cross-linking and Biomedical Applications: A Review

Abstract

Nanofibres possess inimitable features which make them promising for varied applications in diverse fields. Electrospinning is the most versatile technique for fabrication of nanofibres. Amongst the potential application areas of nanofibres, biomedical field assumes the first place since the nanofibres, especially, biopolymer-based nanofibres can mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Gelatin which is derived from collagen is an extensively investigated biomaterial and electrospun gelatin nanofibres hold great promise to be used in tissue engineering, wound healing and drug delivery applications. This article aims to review the important research works pertaining to electrospinning of gelatin and its applications. The article comprehensively discusses the principle and instrumental set-up of electrospinning, salient features of electrospinning of gelatin such as suitable solvents and the cross-linking strategies to induce stability and major biomedical applications.