Engineering Biomimetic Extracellular Matrix with Silica Nanofibers: From 1D Material to 3D Network

Biomaterials
at nanoscale is a fast-expanding research field with
which extensive studies have been conducted on understanding the interactions
between cells and their surrounding microenvironments as well as intracellular
communications. Among many kinds of nanoscale biomaterials, mesoporous
fibrous structures are especially attractive as a promising approach
to mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) for cell and tissue
research. Silica is a well-studied biocompatible, natural inorganic
material that can be synthesized as morpho-genetically active scaffolds
by various methods. This review compares silica nanofibers (SNFs)
to other ECM materials such as hydrogel, polymers, and decellularized
natural ECM, summarizes fabrication techniques for SNFs, and discusses
different strategies of constructing ECM using SNFs. In addition,
the latest progress on SNFs synthesis and biomimetic ECM substrates
fabrication is summarized and highlighted. Lastly, we look at the
wide use of SNF-based ECM scaffolds in biological applications, including
stem cell regulation, tissue engineering, drug release, and environmental
applications.