Polymer-based platforms by electric field-assisted techniques for tissue engineering and cancer therapy

Abstract

A large variety of processes and tools has been investigated to acquire better knowledge on the natural evolution of healthy or pathological tissues in 3D scaffolds to discover new solutions for tissue engineering and cancer therapy. Among them, electrodynamic techniques allow revisiting old scaffold manufacturing approach by utilizing electrostatic forces as the driving force to assemble fibers and/or particles from an electrically charged solution. By carefully selecting materials and processing conditions, they allow to fine control of characteristic shapes and sizes from micro to sub-micrometric scale and incorporate biopolymers/molecules (e.g., proteins, growth factors) for time- and space-controlled release for use in drug delivery and passive/active targeting. This review focuses on current advances to design micro or nanostructured polymer platforms by electrodynamic techniques, to be used as innovative scaffolds for tissue engineering or as 3D models for preclinical in vitro studies of in vivo tumor growth.

Keywords:

• ECM analog
• electrospinning
• electrospraying
• tissue engineering
• tumor drug resistance

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was financially supported by REPAIR (PON01-02342), MERIT (FIRB-RBNE08HM7T), POLIFARMA (PON02_3203241) and NEWTON (FIRB-RBAP11BYNP). Scanning Electron Microscopy was supported by the Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy Labs (LAMEST) of the National Research Council. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• There is a tremendous need for new 3D cellular models enabling a thorough understanding of biological processes at the base of healthy and pathological tissue and organ development.

• The scientific community pointed out their next-generation guidelines, underlining the necessity of complex in vitro biomimetic models able to finely predict biological mechanisms occurring in vivo.

• Instructive-platform inspired tissue engineering approaches promise new relevant discoveries to learn about fundamental cell–biomaterial and cell–cell cross-talking elicited during regenerative processes.

• Electrodynamics are processing techniques with incomparable versatility and reproducibility, able to mimic the innate complexity of tissue microenvironment by a sage manipulation of several features (e.g., morphology, mechanical properties, degradation, oxygen and molecular transport).

• Electrodynamic technologies platforms currently represent valid tools not only for temporary mimicking structural and biochemical properties of native extracellular matrix during the tissue regeneration, but, most interestingly, for the investigation of tumor development and resistance to current chemotherapeutic therapies.