Electroconductive scaffolds for tissue regeneration: Current opportunities, pitfalls, and potential solutions

[Display omitted] •A critical overview of current electroconductive scaffolds is presented.•Significant deficiencies should be address before clinical applications.•Focus on bone tissue engineering applications can be expanded significantly.•Comprehensive optimization of electrical signaling regimes is required. In recent years, conductive scaffolds have increasingly found applications as biomaterials, serving for effective delivery of electrical cues to cells. Mimicking the structure of the native extracellular matrix and electrical stimulation of damaged tissues have been suggested to be highly beneficial for tissue regeneration. This review provides a critical overview of progress in designing and using electro-conductive nanostructured scaffolds for tissue engineering with more emphasis on recent studies. A significant majority of these nanostructures include carbon-based nanomaterials, conductive polymers, and conductive nanocomposites. We describe cellular responses to electrical stimulation achieved by conductive scaffolds and also highlight and discuss successful outcomes and challenges related to their applications. Although every previous work in this area of research is not singled out, we aim to outline the specific potentials and pitfalls of works on each tissue. Additionally, tissue-specific requirements for electroconductive scaffolds and associated opportunities for future research and challenges are addressed.