title: Aloe Vera for Tissue Engineering Applications.
abstract: Aloe vera, also referred asAloe barbadensisMiller, is a succulent plant widely used for biomedical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Aloe vera has been used for thousands of years. However, recent significant advances have been made in the development of aloe vera for tissue engineering applications. Aloe vera has received considerable attention in tissue engineering due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and low toxicity properties. Aloe vera has been reported to have many biologically active components. The bioactive components of aloe vera have effective antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulatory effects that promote both tissue regeneration and growth. The aloe vera plant, its bioactive components, extraction and processing, and tissue engineering prospects are reviewed in this article. The use of aloe vera as tissue engineering scaffolds, gels, and films is discussed, with a special focus on electrospun nanofibers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. srahman@aggies.ncat.edu.
authors.forename: Shekh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. plcarter@aggies.ncat.edu.
authors.forename: Princeton
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. nbhattar@ncat.edu.
authors.forename: Narayan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhattarai
keywords: aloe vera; biomaterials; nanofibers; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering