Regenerative medicine focuses on replacing injured tissues and organs by
utilising biophysical and biochemical cues to develop bioscaffolds suitable for
regenerating damaged or injured tissues. The scaffold has an important role in guiding
the development of the regenerative process that allows the migration and attachment
of cells and, to a certain extent, becomes the source of nutrients influencing the cells or
tissue's biological mechanism. Hence, the selection of biomaterials is important to
ensure biocompatibility and suitable mechanical properties for tissue engineering.
Different sources and types of biomaterials can be used in the fabrication of scaffolds,
including composites. Composite biomaterials consist of more than one material with
different morphologies and compositions, causing it to become multiphased, which can
ameliorate the scaffold’s mechanical properties, flexibility, and structural properties to
ensure a suitable microenvironment for cell growth and viability. Nevertheless,
biocompatibility issues need to be addressed, particularly with synthetic materials,
which led investigators to explore other sources and types, such as plant-based
biomaterials, to fabricate suitable and safer composites. Aside from being more
sustainable and perhaps more eco-friendly, plant-based composite materials fulfill the
criteria required for biomaterials and exhibit many advantages that can be adapted in
their fabrication techniques. Hence, in this chapter, the advantages and development of
plant-based materials will be discussed, focusing on the potential of oil palm and
konjac plants as sources of biomaterials
Keywords: Bioscaffold, Biomaterials, Composites, Plant-based, Regenerative medicine
