Provides the shape and mechanical stability to the tissue defect and gives the rigidity and stiffness to the engineered tissuesīiomaterials with sufficient mechanical properties filling up the void space of the defect and simulating that of the native tissue Provides structural support for exogenously applied cells to attach, grow, migrate and differentiate in vitro and in vivoīiomaterials with binding sites for cells porous structure with interconnectivity for cell migration and for nutrients diffusion temporary resistance to biodegradation upon implantationĬontributes to the mechanical properties of tissues Provides structural support for cells to reside Fifthly, ECM provides a degradable physical environment so as to allow neovascularization and remodeling in response to developmental, physiological and pathological challenges during tissue dynamic processes namely morphogenesis, homeostasis and wound healing, respectively.Īnalogous functions of scaffolds in engineered tissuesĪrchitectural, biological, and mechanical features of scaffolds For example, heparin sulfate proteoglycans facilitate bFGF dimerization and thus activities. Fourthly, ECM may act as reservoir of growth factors and potentiate their bioactivities. For examples, the RGD sequence on fibronectin triggers binding events while the regular topological pattern stimulates preferred alignment of cells. Thirdly, ECM may actively provide bioactive cues to the residing cells for regulation of their activities. On the other hand, randomly distributed collagen fibrils and elastin fibers of skin are responsible for its toughness and elasticity. For example, well-organized thick bundles of collagen type I in tendon are highly resistant to stretching and are responsible for the high tensile strength of tendons. Secondly, ECM gives the tissue its structural and therefore mechanical properties, such as rigidity and elasticity that is associated with the tissue functions. Firstly, ECM provides structural support and physical environment for cells residing in that tissue to attach, grow, migrate and respond to signals. As for the functions of ECM in tissues, they can be generally classified into five categories (Table 1). Readers are directed to detailed reviews for types of ECM and their tissue-specific composition. There are numerous types of ECM in human tissues, which usually have multiple components and tissue-specific composition. Analogous functions of scaffolds and extracellular matrixĪpart from blood cells, most, if not all other, normal cells in human tissues are anchorage-dependent residing in a solid matrix called extracellular matrix (ECM).
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