ABSTRACT
Fibrin has been, and continues to be widely used in surgical applications as a tissue sealant, although this requires much higher concentrations than that of a clot which cells invade and remodel. More recently, it has been examined as a scaffold for tissue engineering. Fibrin possesses several qualities in addition to those already mentioned that make it ideal for use in tissue engineering. It is biocompatible, biodegradable, and can be produced from human serum, making it possible to use autologous sources. This entry will provide background on the structure and biochemistry of fibrin, as well as an overview of its interactions with cells. We will then finish with a discussion of the tissue engineering applications currently being pursued by researchers.
