BIOMIMETICS CLUES FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING MATERIALS

Tissue engineering involves creation of three-dimensional tissue structures, also referred to as scaffolds, on which cells or other bio-molecules may be incorporated. Scaffolds are aimed at guiding the organisation, growth and differentiation of cells in the process of forming functional tissue, providing physico-chemical cues and therefore need incorporating both native anatomy and necessary tissue culture criteria. The successful incorporation of any scaffold within a host body is dependent on appropriate communication between cells, tissues, and the host system as a whole. This paper aims to review the biologically synthesised materials that have found interest for biomimetics applications, discussing their present or possible application for tissue scaffolding. Besides, indications on biomimetics material design are also provided, aimed at suggesting how in practice a successful extraction of clues from nature is obtained. 1