TY - JOUR
T1 - Mechanical Considerations for Electrospun Nanofibers in Tendon and Ligament Repair
AU - Brennan, David A.
AU - Conte, Adriano A.
AU - Kanski, Gregory
AU - Turkula, Stefan
AU - Hu, Xiao
AU - Kleiner, Matthew T.
AU - Beachley, Vince
N1 - Funding Information:
D.A.B. and A.A.C. contributed equally to this work. This work was made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF1561966 & NSF1653329).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
PY - 2018/6/20
Y1 - 2018/6/20
N2 - Electrospun nanofibers possess unique qualities such as nanodiameter, high surface area to volume ratio, biomimetic architecture, and tunable chemical and electrical properties. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential of nanofibrous architecture to direct cell morphology, migration, and more complex biological processes such as differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition through topographical guidance cues. These advantages have created great interest in electrospun fibers for biomedical applications, including tendon and ligament repair. Electrospun nanofibers, despite their nanoscale size, generally exhibit poor mechanical properties compared to larger conventionally manufactured polymer fiber materials. This invites the question of what role electrospun polymer nanofibers can play in tendon and ligament repair applications that have both biological and mechanical requirements. At first glance, the strength and stiffness of electrospun nanofiber grafts appear to be too low to fill the rigorous loading conditions of these tissues. However, there are a number of strategies to enhance and tune the mechanical properties of electrospun nanofiber grafts. As researchers design the next-generation electrospun tendon and ligament grafts, it is critical to consider numerous physiologically relevant mechanical criteria and to evaluate graft mechanical performance in conditions and loading environments that reflect in vivo conditions and surgical fixation methods.
AB - Electrospun nanofibers possess unique qualities such as nanodiameter, high surface area to volume ratio, biomimetic architecture, and tunable chemical and electrical properties. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential of nanofibrous architecture to direct cell morphology, migration, and more complex biological processes such as differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition through topographical guidance cues. These advantages have created great interest in electrospun fibers for biomedical applications, including tendon and ligament repair. Electrospun nanofibers, despite their nanoscale size, generally exhibit poor mechanical properties compared to larger conventionally manufactured polymer fiber materials. This invites the question of what role electrospun polymer nanofibers can play in tendon and ligament repair applications that have both biological and mechanical requirements. At first glance, the strength and stiffness of electrospun nanofiber grafts appear to be too low to fill the rigorous loading conditions of these tissues. However, there are a number of strategies to enhance and tune the mechanical properties of electrospun nanofiber grafts. As researchers design the next-generation electrospun tendon and ligament grafts, it is critical to consider numerous physiologically relevant mechanical criteria and to evaluate graft mechanical performance in conditions and loading environments that reflect in vivo conditions and surgical fixation methods.
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U2 - 10.1002/adhm.201701277
DO - 10.1002/adhm.201701277
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29603679
AN - SCOPUS:85044739057
VL - 7
JO - Advanced healthcare materials
JF - Advanced healthcare materials
SN - 2192-2640
IS - 12
M1 - 1701277
ER -