SYNTHETIC BONE SCAFFOLDS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING

Bavithra P.S.*, Monisha M., Swathi G. and Arun P.

ABSTRACT

The bone scaffolds play major role in regeneration of fractured bones. They can either be natural or artificial scaffolds. Traditionally, bone grafts were used for replacing the fractures, now it has widely been replaced by synthetic scaffolds. Synthetic scaffolds have been studied on a greater extent especially for their biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical strength and non-toxic nature. Later studies were concentrated on engineering the scaffolds to be more bioactive or more bioresorbable to enhance tissue growth. The bone scaffolds are designed to induce bone formation and vascularization, and hence are often porous and harbor growth factors, drug, genes or stem cells. The scaffolds are crucial in healing and it must be appropriate and must not bring any other new ailments while healing. There are several studies on the scaffolds used in tissue engineering but this study focuses on the wide range of the scaffolds, particularly those being used for bones.

Keywords: Bone Scaffolds, Biocompatibility, Biodegradation, Osteogenesis, Bioglass, Polymers.