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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Apr 15.
Published in final edited form as: Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2014 Aug 7;0:155–171. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.07.012

Table 3.

Methods, factors and biomedical application of scaffolds

Method Examples Polymers Properties Application
Biodegradable porous scaffold: polymeric porous scaffolds with homogenous network Casting, leaching and foaming methods PLLA, PLGA, PDLLA, collagen, etc. Controlled structure & production Drug delivery, bone & cartilage tissue engineering
Fibrous scaffolds: mimicking the architecture of natural human tissue at the nanometer scale (Nano, micro & nonwoven fiber) Electrospinning, self-assembly, & phase separation PCL, PGA, PLA, PLGA Biomechanical and biocompatible high surface area Tissue engineering, drug delivery & wound healing
Hydrogel scaffold: shape-retentive polymeric network swollen with a high percentage of water Microfluidics, micromolding, photolithography, & emulsification PGS, PEG, PDMS, & Silicon PMMA, HA, PEG, Alginate PMMA, PAA, Fibronectin, chitosan Collagen, gelatin & HA Biological, mechanical, & physical complexity of structure, shape & size Microdevices, biochips, cell-based microreactors, etc.
Microsphere scaffold: prepared from a large variety of biodegradable materials, enabling easy control of porosity and pore interconnection Thermal induction Particle aggregation Solvent evaporation Freezing & drying PEG, PLLA Chitosan, HAP PLGA & PLAGA Collagen, PLGA, Chitosan Highly porous for cell transplant Mechanical stability High cellular density Durable & flexible structure Bone tissue engineering
Ceramic scaffold: useful due to their similarity to bone mineral & their osteo-conductivity and biocompatibility Sponge replication Calcium phosphate coating TCP, BCP, PU sponge, calcium phosphate, PLGA, PS, PP, collagens, silk and hair fibers, etc. Enhanced biocompatibility and bioreactivity Bone tissue engineering & orthopedic application
Functional scaffold: delivering of substances inducing cell growth Growth factors, hormones and ligands release Alginate, gelatin, collagens, fibrin, PLGA, PLA, etc. Variable structure: hydrogels, membranes, microspheres, foams & membranes Endothelium interaction, tumor vascular interactions, bone regeneration & wound healing
Acellular scaffold: elimination of the cellular composition without affecting the composition, mechanical integrity and biological activities of the remained ECM Decellularisation Biological organs (e.g. lung) Retain biomechanical properties, anatomical structure & native ECM Tissue engineering
“Tissue scaffold”: assist in the production of ECM, and possible integration with in vivo tissue growth Robotic & automated deposition of cells in 3D space Tubular collagen gel Sodium alginate Layers deposition of ECM or cells Multicellular composition reconstituting tissues Printing 3D organs, acellular polymeric scaffolds & biochips development

Abbreviations: PLLA, polylactide; PLGA, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid; PDLLA, poly-D,L-lactide; PCL, Polycaprolactone; PGA, polyglycolide; PLA, polylactide; PGS, poly glycerol-sebacate; PEG, Poly ethylene glycol; PDMS, Polydimethylsiloxane; PMMA, polymethyl methacrylate; HA, hyaluronic acid; PAA, Poly acrylic acid; PLAGA, poly-lactide-co-glycolide; TCP, Tricalcium phosphate; BCP, Biphasic Calcium Phosphate; PU, Polyurethane; PS, Polystyrene; PP, Polypropylene