Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and its derivatives have been investigated and applied in regenerative medicine. The use of PRP as a supplement of cell culture media has consistently shown to potentiate stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In addition, the clinical utility of PRP is supported by evidence that PRP contains high concentrations of growth factors (GFs) and proteins which contribute to the regenerative process. PRP based therapies are cost effective and also benefit from the accessibility and safety of using the patient's own GFs. In the last years, a great development has been witnessed on PRP based biomaterials, with both structural and functional purposes. In this study we overview the most relevant PRP applications encompassing PRP based materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This review also summarizes the challenges in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and provides a perspective on future directions.

There is a demand to design microparticles holding surface topographies while presenting inherent bioactive cues for applications in the biomedical and biotechnological fields. Using the pool of proteins present in human‐derived platelet lysates (PL), it is reported the production of protein‐based microparticles via a simple and cost‐effective method, exploring the prone redox behavior of cysteine (‐SH) amino acid residues. The forced formation of new intermolecular disulfide bonds results in the precipitation of the proteins as spherical, pompon‐like microparticles with adjustable sizes (15‐50 μm in diameter) and surface topography consisting of grooves and ridges. These PL microparticles exhibit extraordinary cytocompatibility, allowing cell‐guided micro‐aggregates to form, while also working as injectable systems for cell support. Early studies also suggests that the surface topography provided by these PL microparticles can support osteogenic behavior. Consequently, these PL microparticles may find use to create live tissues via bottom‐up procedures or injectable tissue‐defect fillers, particularly for bone regeneration, with the prospect of working under xeno‐free conditions.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Pulmonary fibrosis consists of progressive and irreversible lung tissue stiffening that is typically associated with organ failure. This is a major health problem and a leading cause of death worldwide. The mainstays of current therapy for lung fibrosis rely on lung transplantation in end-stage fibrotic diseases, which has severe limitations, such as the shortage of organ donors and risk of rejection. There is thus an active search for efficient treatments, which can only be achieved with a better understanding of pulmonary fibrosis pathophysiology. Recent advances in 3D tissue engineering led to the development of platforms for drug testing, and that contribute to a better understanding of pulmonary fibrosis pathophysiology. These complex 3D lung platforms recapitulate lung function, structure, and cell and matrix interactions, therefore providing the means for understanding the mechanisms and mediators involved in the fibrotic process. In this perspective, this review discusses the most relevant 3D cell culture platforms to engineer fibrotic lung models as well as their in vitro applications.