As a versatile nanofiber manufacturing technique, electrospinning has been widely employed for the fabrication of tissue\nengineering scaffolds. Since the structure of natural extracellular matrices varies substantially in different tissues, there has\nbeen growing awareness of the fact that the hierarchical 3D structure of scaffolds may affect intercellular interactions, material\ntransportation, fluid flow, environmental stimulation, and so forth. Physical blending of the synthetic and natural polymers to form\ncomposite materials better mimics the composition and mechanical properties of natural tissues. Scaffolds with element gradient,\nsuch as growth factor gradient, have demonstrated good potentials to promote heterogeneous cell growth and differentiation.\nCompared to 2D scaffolds with limited thicknesses, 3D scaffolds have superior cell differentiation and development rate. The\nobjective of this review paper is to review and discuss the recent trends of electrospinning strategies for cartilage tissue engineering,\nparticularly the biomimetic, gradient, and 3D scaffolds, along with future prospects of potential clinical applications.
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