Advances in Electrospinning of Nanofibers and their Biomedical Applications

Electrospinning has gained widespread interest as a potential nanofiber fabrication technique for applications in biomedical field in the last 10 years due to its ease of use and functionalization, and the ability to fabricate fibers with diameters in micro and/or nanoscale. Additionally, the possibility of engineering scaffolds with wide range of surface topography and porosity provides enhanced mimicry of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Electrospun fibers can be produced by using various materials and can either be oriented or randomly organized in order to get desired mechanical properties and biological responses. Furthermore, the electrospinning assembly can be modified in different ways in order to combine different materials with wide range of properties as well as incorporate drugs, growth factors and DNA/RNA. In this review, the importance of the electrospinning technique and its benefits in the biomedical applications are focused. Also, the types of materials and therapeutic agents used in fabrication of fibers, the parameters affecting the process and the characterization of electrospun structures are outlined. Finally, the most recent and state of the art work in the electrospinning process and its applications in the biomedical field are highlighted.