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Abstract
Electrospun nanofibers with a high surface area to volume ratio have received much
attention because of their potential applications for biomedical devices, tissue engineering
scaffolds, and drug delivery carriers. In order to develop electrospun nanofibers
as useful nanobiomaterials, surfaces of electrospun nanofibers have been chemically
functionalized for achieving sustained delivery through physical adsorption of diverse
bioactive molecules. Surface modification of nanofibers includes plasma treatment,
wet chemical method, surface graft polymerization, and co-electrospinning of surface
active agents and polymers. A variety of bioactive molecules including anti-cancer
drugs, enzymes, cytokines, and polysaccharides were entrapped within the interior
or physically immobilized on the surface for controlled drug delivery. Surfaces of
electrospun nanofibers were also chemically modified with immobilizing cell specific
bioactive ligands to enhance cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation by
mimicking morphology and biological functions of extracellular matrix. This review
summarizes surface modification strategies of electrospun polymeric nanofibers for
controlled drug delivery and tissue engineering.