Emerging Functional Porous Scaffolds for Liver Tissue Engineering

Liver tissue engineering holds promising in synthesizing or regenerating livers, while the design of functional scaffold remains a challenge. Owing to the intricate simulation of extracellular matrix structure and performance, porous scaffolds have demonstrated advantages in creating liver microstructures and sustaining liver functions. Currently, various methods and processes have been employed to fabricate porous scaffolds, manipulating the properties and morphologies of materials to confer them with unique supportive functions. Additionally, scaffolds must also facilitate tissue growth and deliver cells, possessing therapeutic or regenerative effects. In this review, it is initially outline typical procedures for fabricating porous scaffolds and showcase various morphologies of microstructures. Subsequently, it is delved into the forms of cell loading in porous scaffolds, including scaffold-based, scaffold-free, and synergetic or bioassembly approaches. Lastly, the utilization of porous scaffolds in liver diseases, offering significant insights and future implications for liver regeneration research in tissue engineering is explored.