Nanoengineered biomaterials for pancreas regeneration

Abstract

The therapeutic virtues of biomaterials offer a variety of regenerative solutions for the repair of damaged or lost tissues and organs along with some alternative imaging methods. Scaffolds at the nanometer scale such as nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanocomposites are promising in biomedical and clinical applications. For example, pancreatic regeneration has been commonly considered for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic dysfunction. Nanostructured materials act as 3D scaffolds, and these platforms can mimic the physiological characteristics of natural extracellular matrix of the pancreas to facilitate the anabolic activities of pancreatic islets via beta cell regulation, differentiation, and proliferation within the pancreas microenvironment. Furthermore, these nanostructures have shown to engage in regenerative exercises through the enhancement of the signaling attributes of some growth factors and proteins surrounding the native islets. In this chapter, we review the current status of nanostructured biomaterials and the methodology of their applications within the context of pancreatic regeneration.