Applications of Natural Product-Based Scaffold in Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering (TE) is gaining great attention by creating bio-artificial tissues or biological replacements that improve, maintain, and repair damaged tissue or organs. Scaffolds are crucial for TE as they serve as a transient platform that offers direction and structural support during the development of new tissues. It promotes multiplication and adhesion of cells and the regeneration of the extracellular matrix, bones, muscles, and nerves. It also acts as a template for the rebuilding of tissue defects. Scaffolds have been developed using a variety of materials. Natural product-based scaffold materials have garnered the most interest in the engineering of tissues due to their exceptional mechanical qualities, bio-absorbability, and ecofriendly. Natural product-based scaffold is harmless, biocompatible, and do not emit any harmful substances as they break down. There is not yet a single material that satisfies every need of the scaffold. Therefore, it is recommended to combine two or more components to get the desired characteristics of scaffold. This review describes the various applications of numerous biopolymers with natural origins like hyaluronic acid, collagen, silk fibroin, chitosan, and gelatin, in regenerative medicine.