Electrospinning for regenerative medicine: a review of the main topics

•Electrospun scaffolds physically mimic the native extracellular matrix.•Techniques for physicochemical and biological characterization of scaffolds are discussed.•MSCs have been extensively used with electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering.•Electrospun scaffolds have been applied for repair of different tissues.•More studies should be realized with scaffolds and cells in in vivo models of tissue damage.

Electrospun fibers are promising tissue engineering scaffolds that offer the cells an environment that mimics the native extracellular matrix. Fibers with different characteristics can be produced by the electrospinning technique according to the needs of the tissue to be repaired. In this review, the process of electrospinning was examined, providing a description of the common techniques used for the physicochemical and biological characterization of electrospun fibers. The review also discusses the potential applications of electrospun scaffolds for tissue engineering, based on scientific literature.