title: Biodegradable synthetic scaffolds for tendon regeneration.
abstract: Tissue regeneration is aimed at producing biological or synthetic scaffolds to be implanted in the body for regenerate functional tissues. Several techniques and materials have been used to obtain biodegradable synthetic scaffolds, on which adhesion, growth, migration and differentiation of human cells has been attempted. Scaffolds for tendon regeneration have been less frequently proposed, because they have a complex hierarchical structure and it is very difficult to mimic their peculiar mechanical properties. In this review, we critically analyzed the proposed materials and fabrication techniques for tendon tissue engineering and we indicated new preparation processes, based on the use of supercritical fluids, to produce scaffolds with characteristics very similar to the native tendon structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reverchon
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baldino
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cardea
authors.forename: Iolanda
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Marco
keywords: cells cultivation; supercritical fluids; synthetic scaffolds; tendon tissue engineering