Alginate-PVA Based Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Evaluation of Piezoelectric Properties for Myocardial Tissue Engineering: A Prospective Review

Abstract

Acute or chronic myocardial damage has long been considered a tipping point for individual health and progression to heart failure. To address this issue, the popularity of electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds is increasing due to their structural resemblance to the extracellular matrix (ECM). The material used in these structures may be a natural polymer or a synthetic one of disparate materials. Each method possesses both advantages and disadvantages. Using a natural-based polymer including Alginate in the electrospinning solution does not give the scaffold enough mechanical strength, also the absence of adhesion molecules, such as RGD sequences, or transmembrane glycoproteins in alginate significantly reduces cell-alginate interactions, thereby limiting cell adhesion. Therefore, adding Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) synthetic polymer to the Alginate enhances its mechanical properties for application on cardiac tissue electrospun scaffolds. On the other hand, Piezoelectricity aids cell growth in cardiac tissue. This article individually reviews the advantages and disadvantages of PVA, alginate, and piezo materials, and also suggests the composite electrospun as a promising scaffold in cardiac tissue engineering