Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the classification and properties of artificial tendon materials, as well as their application in hand surgery and complications.
METHODS: Using “artificial tendon, hand surgery, cell scaffold” in Chinese and “artificial tendon, hand surgery, cytoskeleton” in English as the key words, the first author conducted a computer search of PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed) and CNKI database (www.cnki.net/index.htm) through screening the titles and abstracts. Articles about the material science, biocompatibility and its application effect of the key words were selected, those recently published or published in the authority magazine were preferred in the same field. Totally 15 documents were included.
RESULTS: The tissue engineered scaffold material is a key and difficult point in tissue engineering studies. The absence of a suitable scaffold may induce the loss even death of seed cells. Tissue engineered scaffold materials should have good biocompatibility, biodegradability, three-dimensional structure and mechanical strength, also have good surface activity to facilitate the adhesion of seed cells, and provide a good microenvironment for cells growing, proliferating and secreting matrix on the surface. Artificial tendon serves as a living alternative to the new tendon defect substitute, it is assimilated into a part of the body and involved in the body update. The basic research and clinical application of tissue engineered tendon have shown an attractive prospect.
CONCLUSION: The tendon tissue engineering highly demands scaffold materials, the development of composite materials will continue to be hot spots for future research, the materials preparation, design, and performance optimization will be further studied.