Natural materials in tissue engineering applications

Abstract

Materials derived from natural sources are used extensively in tissue engineering. Consisting of proteins, polysaccharides, or ceramics, these materials may be harvested from a wide range of sources and possess an equally wide range of physical and biological properties. This chapter focuses upon seven of these materials, namely collagen, fibrin, elastin, hyaluronic acid, alginate, chitosan, and silk. These materials are first discussed with respect to their intrinsic features that are relevant to tissue engineering, such as structure, source, degradation, mechanics, immunogenicity, and recognition by cells. This is followed by a review of techniques for derivatizing natural materials, forming scaffolds, and tailoring these scaffolds, accompanied by select examples of how these natural materials have been used in tissue engineering applications. While natural materials possess many characteristics that render them attractive for use in tissue engineering, they are also accompanied by some unique challenges; both of these features are highlighted in this chapter. © 2011 Springer-Verlag/Wien.