Abstract

Regeneration of damaged bone tissue can be accomplished by mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM) by generating porous topographic substrates. The process of bone tissue regeneration is supported by incorporating natural proteins and growth factors. The scaffolds developed for bone tissue regeneration support bone cell growth and induce bone-forming cells by using natural proteins and growth factors. Limitations associated with the referred approaches are improper scaffold stability, insufficient cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation and mineralization with less expression of growth factor. Therefore, the use of engineered nanoparticles has been rapidly increasing in bone tissue engineering applications. The electrospray technique that produces nanomaterials has an advantage over other conventional methods as it generates particle sizes in the micro/nanoscale range. The size and charge of the particles are controlled by regulating the flow rate and electric voltage of the polymer solution. The unique properties of nanoparticles are the large surface area to volume ratio, small size and higher reactivity, making them a suitable substrate to be used in the field of biomedical engineering. These nanomaterials are extensively used for drug delivery as therapeutic agents, mimicking cellular components of extracellular matrix and restoring and improving the functions of damaged organs. The controlled and sustained release of encapsulated drugs, proteins, vaccines, growth factors, cells and nucleotides from nanoparticles has been well-established in nanomedicine. The present chapter provides insights into the preparation of nanoparticles by electrospraying and illustrates the use of nanoparticles in drug delivery for the purpose of bone tissue engineering.