108
P. Hameed et al.
Further, nanofibers development on polymers has enhanced the scope for fabricating scaffolds that can potentially mimic the architecture of natural human tissue
at the nanometer scale (Vasita and Katti in Int J Nanomedicine 1:15–30, 2006). The
biomimicry by nanofibers made from biocompatible polymers has opened novel and
innovative therapeutic avenues in the area of tissue regeneration. In recent years,
a plethora of bio-nanofibers has been fabricated to imitate the natural extracellular
matrix for cartilage tissue engineering. Nanofibers have broadened their horizons in
the past five years for potential biomedical applications from triaxial fibers to electrospinning of drug-loaded polymer and ceramic composites (Kiran et al. in Ceram
Int 45:18710–18720, 2019). However, the effect of surface topology on stem cells
for cartilage regeneration and the biophysics involved in the stress distribution of
nanofibers needs to be elucidated. Apart from this, the fine-tuning of metallic implant
surfaces for enhanced chondro-integration and antibacterial activity is a need of the
hour and clear understanding towards the sensitivity of various surface characteristics is also needed. Various modifications on the surface of metallic implants are
done using different chemical and physical modification techniques. The commonly
used techniques are anodization, laser texturing, hydrothermal treatments and sand
blasting (Vishnu et al. in Nanomedicine Nanotechnology, Biol Med 20, 2019; Manivasagam and Popat in ACS Omega 5:8108–8120, 2020). Studies have shown that
these modification have enhanced suitability for the implant material for the chondrocyte conduction by providing the necessary roughness and surface chemistry
in the nanoscale level. Hence, in this chapter, a detailed discussion about different
synthesis routes associated with nanofibers’ development for cartilage regeneration
will be discussed. Along with this, the fabrication and effect of nanosurfaces on
metallic implants for enhanced chondrocyte conductivity will also be highlighted.
Keywords Nanofibres · Nanosurfaces · Anodization · Cartilage regeneration ·
Chondrointegration · Scaffolds
1 Introduction
Nanobiomaterials have a unique advantage of bio mimicking the human tissue and
thus considered as a suitable replacement for damaged tissues. The surface topography, chemical composition, surface mechanical properties and surface energy of
a biomaterial dictate the cellular responses on the surface and, hence, biocompatibility. As the bone is made of apatite, which is around 2–5 nm in diameter and
50 nm in length [1], while the collagen is of 80–300 nm*1.5 nm [2]. The cells are
more familiar with nano features around them, and hence it is of prime importance
to develop nanomaterials or tune the surface of biomaterials in nano regime. Cells
when introduced on a new surface, try to adhere with the help of focal adhesion
proteins present on the cell membrane. Post protein adhesion the cytoskeleton of
the cell undergoes re-arrangement for spreading onto the surface. The nearby cells
also undergo similar process and begin interaction. These cell-cell interactions can
P. Hameed et al.
Further, nanofibers development on polymers has enhanced the scope for fabricating scaffolds that can potentially mimic the architecture of natural human tissue
at the nanometer scale (Vasita and Katti in Int J Nanomedicine 1:15–30, 2006). The
biomimicry by nanofibers made from biocompatible polymers has opened novel and
innovative therapeutic avenues in the area of tissue regeneration. In recent years,
a plethora of bio-nanofibers has been fabricated to imitate the natural extracellular
matrix for cartilage tissue engineering. Nanofibers have broadened their horizons in
the past five years for potential biomedical applications from triaxial fibers to electrospinning of drug-loaded polymer and ceramic composites (Kiran et al. in Ceram
Int 45:18710–18720, 2019). However, the effect of surface topology on stem cells
for cartilage regeneration and the biophysics involved in the stress distribution of
nanofibers needs to be elucidated. Apart from this, the fine-tuning of metallic implant
surfaces for enhanced chondro-integration and antibacterial activity is a need of the
hour and clear understanding towards the sensitivity of various surface characteristics is also needed. Various modifications on the surface of metallic implants are
done using different chemical and physical modification techniques. The commonly
used techniques are anodization, laser texturing, hydrothermal treatments and sand
blasting (Vishnu et al. in Nanomedicine Nanotechnology, Biol Med 20, 2019; Manivasagam and Popat in ACS Omega 5:8108–8120, 2020). Studies have shown that
these modification have enhanced suitability for the implant material for the chondrocyte conduction by providing the necessary roughness and surface chemistry
in the nanoscale level. Hence, in this chapter, a detailed discussion about different
synthesis routes associated with nanofibers’ development for cartilage regeneration
will be discussed. Along with this, the fabrication and effect of nanosurfaces on
metallic implants for enhanced chondrocyte conductivity will also be highlighted.
Keywords Nanofibres · Nanosurfaces · Anodization · Cartilage regeneration ·
Chondrointegration · Scaffolds
1 Introduction
Nanobiomaterials have a unique advantage of bio mimicking the human tissue and
thus considered as a suitable replacement for damaged tissues. The surface topography, chemical composition, surface mechanical properties and surface energy of
a biomaterial dictate the cellular responses on the surface and, hence, biocompatibility. As the bone is made of apatite, which is around 2–5 nm in diameter and
50 nm in length [1], while the collagen is of 80–300 nm*1.5 nm [2]. The cells are
more familiar with nano features around them, and hence it is of prime importance
to develop nanomaterials or tune the surface of biomaterials in nano regime. Cells
when introduced on a new surface, try to adhere with the help of focal adhesion
proteins present on the cell membrane. Post protein adhesion the cytoskeleton of
the cell undergoes re-arrangement for spreading onto the surface. The nearby cells
also undergo similar process and begin interaction. These cell-cell interactions can