Polymer-based porous microcarriers as cell delivery systems for applications in bone and cartilage tissue engineering

ABSTRACT

For tissue regeneration or repair, a suitable temporary scaffold needs to be constructed for delivering regenerative cells to damaged or diseased tissue. Scaffold types are currently categorised into 3D monolithic scaffolds, hydrogels, and microcarriers. Among these scaffolds, microcarrier systems offer an attractive method for cell amplification and enhancement of phenotype expression, and they have emerged as powerful injectable carriers to repair and reconstruct irregular defects in tissues and organs. In this article, several important issues related to polymeric porous microcarriers for tissue engineering are reviewed. The properties of porous microcarriers, including surface chemistry, pore structure, typical particle size, and specific density, and the corresponding effects on cell cultures are discussed. The fabrication techniques and biomaterials investigated for porous microcarriers are summarised, and their advantages and disadvantages are outlined. Recent advancements in the application of porous microcarriers, including bone and cartilage tissue engineering, are also presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Polymers
• chitosan
• poly(alpha hydroxy acids)
• poly(L-glutamic acid)
• microcarriers
• microspheres
• tissue engineering
• review

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor K.K. Chawla, Professor P.J. Withers, Professor H. Kanematsu and Mrs. M.A. Fleming for their encouragement and comments during the preparation of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 81701844, 51773057, 81701837 and 51773113], National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Chemical Engineering and Materials [grant number 2016(7)], Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 2019JJ50163], IUC Program of Hunan Provincial Education Department [grant number 15CY004] and Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Hunan University of Science and Technology [grant number E51897].