Nanostructured Materials for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering

Substantial progress has been made in the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering with an ever increasing number of clinically viable implants being reported. However, poor cellular integration of constructs remains a major problem. Limitations in our knowledge of cell/substrate interactions and their impact upon cell proliferation, survival and phenotype are proving to be a major hindrance. Advances in nanotechnology have allowed researchers to fabricate scaffolds which mimic the natural cell environment to a greater extent; allowing the elucidation of appropriate physical cues which influence cell behaviour. The ability to manipulate cell/substrate interactions at the micro/nano scale may help to create a viable cellular environment which can integrate effectively with the host tissue. This review summarises the influence of nanotopographical features on cell behaviour and provides details of some popular fabricating techniques to manufacture 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering. Recent examples of the translation of this research into fabricating clinically viable implants for the regeneration of cardiovascular tissues are also provided.