Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering: A State-of-the-Art Review Concerning Types, Properties, Materials, Processing, and Characterization

Given the constant lack of donors for organ transplantation, tissue engineering has been considered a very important tool for regenerative medicine to overcome the limitations of conventional treatments. Tissue engineering is mainly based on obtaining biodegradable three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds. Based on a bibliometric study covering the last three decades of scientific research in scaffolds, this review will address the existing types of scaffolds (solid and fluid); the necessary scaffold properties for adequate tissue regeneration, such as biocompatibility and adequate mechanical properties; the materials that can be used to manufacture the scaffold, from metals to natural and synthetic polymers; scaffold fabrication techniques, considering their advantages and disadvantages and which are the main selection criteria; and finally, the methods of scaffold characterization, such as chemical, morphological, mechanical, and biological.