Tissue regeneration based on growth factor release.

Tissue engineering is an emerging biomedical field intended to assist the regeneration of body tissue defects too large to self-repair as well as to substitute for the biological functions of damaged and injured organs by using cells with proliferative and differentiative potential. In addition to basic research on such cells, it is undoubtedly indispensable for successful tissue engineering to create an artificial environment enabling cells to induce tissue regeneration. Such an environment can be achieved by making use of a scaffold for cell proliferation and differentiation and for growth factors, as well as their combination. Growth factors are often required to promote tissue regeneration, as they can induce angiogenesis, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to cells transplanted for organ substitution to maintain their biological functions. However, the biological effects of growth factors cannot always be expected because of their poor in vivo stability, unless a drug delivery system is contrived. In this article, tissue regeneration based on the release of growth factors is reviewed to emphasize the significance of drug delivery systems in tissue engineering.