ABSTRACT
Diseases and injuries ofmusculoskeletal system cause pain, deformity, and loss of function. They limit activities of daily living and cause disability for more people than disorders of any other organ system. Musculoskeletal tissue engineering provides a promising approach to treat these diseases and injuries. In tissue engineering, scaffolds as temporary support for cells ingrowth and carrier for growth factors are gradually acknowledged as the key functions for successful tissue repair.More recently, the ability to engineer the nanostructures of scaffold materials to precisely control cell behaviors for tissue regeneration is becoming a reality. In this chapter,we highlight the current state of art of nanostructures in scaffolds to explore the potential breakthroughs for musculoskeletal tissue engineering. Firstly, the nanostructures of naturalmusculoskeletal tissues are discussed inSection14.2.Diseases and injuries of
the musculoskeletal system, the current treatments, and musculoskeletal tissue engineering are introduced in Section 14.3. Strategies ofmusculoskeletal tissue engineering and the effect of nanostructures for cell behaviors are discussed in Sections 14.4 and 14.5, respectively. Based on the preceding basic principles introduced in Sections 14.4 and 14.5,we illustrate the specific applications of nanostructures formusculoskeletal tissue engineering inSection14.6. Finally, current challenges in the applicationsof nanostructures for musculoskeletal tissue engineering are discussed in Section 14.7. To take full advantage of nanostructures for tissue engineering, the fabrication of nanostructures must be incorporated seamlessly with the micro-as well as the macrostructure to achieve the optimal benefits of nanostructures and fulfill the intended purpose of tissue repair.
