Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Tissue Eng Part C Methods. 2021 Nov;27(11):573-588. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEC.2021.0155.
Distinguishing from other traditional imaging, synchrotron radiation microcomputed tomography (SR-μCT) imaging allows for the visualization of three-dimensional objects of interest in a nondestructive and/or way with better spatial resolution, deep penetration, relatively fast speed, and/or high contrast. SR-μCT has been illustrated promising for visualizing and characterizing tissue scaffolds for repairing or replacing damaged tissue or organs in tissue engineering (TE), which is of particular advance for longitudinal monitoring and tracking the success of scaffolds once implanted in animal models and/or human patients. This article presents a comprehensive review on recent studies of characterization of scaffolds based on SR-μCT and takes scaffold architectural properties, mechanical properties, degradation, swelling and wettability, and biological properties as five separate sections to introduce SR-μCT wide applications. We also discuss and highlight the unique opportunities of SR-μCT in various TE applications; conclude this article with the suggested future research directions, including the prospective applications of SR-μCT, along with its challenges and methods for improvement in the field of TE.
与其他传统成像技术不同，同步辐射微计算机断层扫描（SR-μCT）成像允许以非破坏性和/或以更好的空间分辨率、更深的穿透深度、相对较快的速度和/或更高的对比度对感兴趣的三维物体进行可视化。SR-μCT 已经在组织工程（TE）中用于可视化和表征组织支架方面显示出了很大的潜力，这对于在动物模型和/或人体患者中植入后对支架的成功进行纵向监测和跟踪具有特别的优势。本文对基于 SR-μCT 的支架特性研究进行了全面综述，将支架的建筑特性、机械特性、降解、溶胀和润湿性以及生物特性作为五个独立的部分，介绍了 SR-μCT 的广泛应用。我们还讨论并强调了 SR-μCT 在各种 TE 应用中的独特机会；最后本文提出了未来的研究方向，包括 SR-μCT 的预期应用及其在 TE 领域的改进的挑战和方法。
