Natural materials such as wood, shells, fungi, bacteria, and plants can be
used to make biopolymer nanofibers (BPNFs), which are natural polymeric materials.
Nanofibers (NFs) are the class of nanostructured materials that are widely used in
tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine (RM). These biomaterials aim to
promote bone tissue regeneration at the defect location, whereupon they will eventually
degrade naturally and be replaced by freshly produced bone tissue. Nanocomposite
biomaterials are a relatively new class of materials that combine readily resorbable,
bioactive fillers that are nanoscale in size with biopolymeric and biodegradable matrix
architectures. The biocompatibility, tissue regeneration, and incorporation of
nanomaterials have been assessed with alginate, fucoidan, chitosan (CS), collagen
(Col), cellulose, and silk fibroin (SF). Examples of synthetic polymer-based
nanocomposites in this chapter include polyethylene glycol (PEG), polycaprolactone
(PCL), poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA), poly (lactic acid) (PLA), and
polyurethane (PU) based nanocomposites. In bone tissue regeneration research, a wide
range of nanofillers are used, such as graphene oxide (GO), nano titanium dioxide
(nTiO2
), nano silica (nSi), nano zirconia (nZr), nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA), and nano
silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Biopolymer-based nanofibers have unique properties that
replicate the extracellular matrix (ECM) of natural tissues, making them a promising
tool for tissue engineering. These nanofibers, which can be made from synthetic or
natural biopolymers, have customizable mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and
biodegradability, making them ideal scaffolding materials for tissue regeneration. Cell
attachment, proliferation, and differentiation are essential for the successful use of
nanofibers in tissue engineering applications because of their high surface area-tovolume ratio. Further improving the functionality of biopolymer-based nanofibers and
encouraging targeted tissue regeneration and healing is the addition of growth factors,
medications, and bioactive compounds. The latest developments in biopolymer-based
nanofibers for tissue engineering emphasize their properties, techniques of production and uses in the regeneration of various tissues, such as skin, bone, cartilage, and neural
tissues. The necessity for multidisciplinary research to enhance nanofiber-based
scaffolds for therapeutic applications is highlighted by the exploration of the possible
obstacles and future prospects in this quickly developing sector. This chapter discusses
a few biomaterials that have the potential to regenerate bone tissue in the form of
polymeric nanocomposites.
Keywords: Biodegradability, Biopolymer-based nanofibers, Natural or synthetic biopolymers, Offer biocompatibility, Tissue engineering.
