Hydrogel for Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering involves combining cells from the body with highly porous scaffold biomaterials that serve as templates for tissue regeneration to guide the growth of new tissue. The growth and development of engineered tissues are influenced by various factors present in the tissue microenvironment.

Utilization of Hydrogel in Tissue Engineering  

In the field of biomedical research, tissue engineering technology aims to regenerate human tissues by combining important factors such as scaffolds, cells, and biomolecules. Hydrogels, known for their exceptional biomimetic properties, find application as biomaterials in the domain of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to promote cell adhesion and support tissue regeneration.

Advanced Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications

The field of materials engineering for tissue engineering applications continuously incorporates innovative methods and strategies from related disciplines like chemistry and nanotechnology, enabling the development of diverse hydrogels with enhanced control over their physicochemical properties.

• Dynamic Hydrogels Based on Supramolecular Crosslinking
  The adaptability of dynamic hydrogels allows for precise control over the addition and removal of biochemical signals, both spatially and temporally, as well as repeated variations in matrix mechanics. Moreover, it facilitates properties such as shear-thinning (exhibiting viscous flow under shear stress) and self-healing (recovering over time upon relaxation), enabling the encapsulation and delivery of cells using minimally invasive strategies.

Fig. 1 Dynamic hydrogels formed by crosslinking of polymeric precursors. (Gomez-Florit M, et al., 2020)

• Reinforced Nanocomposite Hydrogels
  The mechanical reinforcement of hydrogels has been extensively studied through the incorporation of inorganic nanofillers. Inorganic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and cellulose or chitin nanocrystals are commonly used nanomaterials with adjustable surface properties and strong mechanics, which effectively enhance both the chemical and mechanical performances of hydrogels.

Fig. 2 Hydrogels mechanically reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). (Gomez-Florit M, et al., 2020)

• Smart Nanocomposite Hydrogels
  In Smart Nanocomposite Hydrogels, the incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles enables precise control over the physicochemical properties of hydrogels over time. The inclusion of electroconductive nanoparticles plays a pivotal role in engineering strategies aimed at specific organs/tissues with electro-responsive characteristics (such as the heart, muscles, and neural tissue).

Fig. 3 Hydrogels with high electrical conductivity. (Navaei A, et al., 2016)

• Anisotropic Hydrogels
  Hydrogels possess an inherent structure that is uniformly distributed and lacks organization, characterized by randomly arranged 3D networks. The distinctive feature allows them to develop the necessary non-uniform organization required for regenerating tissues with varying anisotropy, such as tendons, ligaments, muscles, and skin.

Fig. 4 Anisotropic gelatin hydrogels. (Araújo-Custódio S, et al., 2019)

The Hydrogel Development Services We Provide 

With professional equipment and experienced specialists, Matexcel provides high-quality natural hydrogel development services, hybrid hydrogel development services, magnetically responsive hydrogel development services and electro-responsive hydrogel development services. Please contact us for more information.

References

1. Gomez-Florit M.; et al. Natural-Based Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications. Molecules. 2020;25(24):5858.
2. Navaei A.; et al. Gold nanorod-incorporated gelatin-based conductive hydrogels for engineering cardiac tissue constructs. Acta Biomater. 2016;41:133-146.
3. Araújo-Custódio S.; et al. Injectable and Magnetic Responsive Hydrogels with Bioinspired Ordered Structures. ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2019;5(3):1392-1404.