Alginate Formulations: Current Developments in the Race for Hydrogel-Based Cardiac Regeneration

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI), represent the main worldwide cause of mortality and morbidity. In this scenario, to contrast the irreversible damages following MI, cardiac regeneration has emerged as a novel and promising solution for in situ cellular regeneration, preserving cell behavior and tissue cytoarchitecture. Among the huge variety of natural, synthetic, and hybrid compounds used for tissue regeneration, alginate emerged as a good candidate for cellular preservation and delivery, becoming one of the first biomaterial tested in pre-clinical research and clinical trials concerning cardiovascular diseases. Although promising results have been obtained, recellularization and revascularization of the infarcted area present still major limitations. Therefore, the demand is rising for alginate functionalization and its combination with molecules, factors, and drugs capable to boost the regenerative potential of the cardiac tissue. The focus of this review is to elucidate the promising properties of alginate and to highlight its benefits in clinical trials in relation to cardiac regeneration. The definition of hydrogels, the alginate characteristics, and recent biomedical applications are herewith described. Afterward, the review examines in depth the ongoing developments to refine the material relevance in cardiac recovery and regeneration after MI and presents current clinical trials based on alginate.

Preparation and characterization of gelatin-polysaccharide composite hydrogels for tissue engineering

“…Among the strategies used for the obtention of alginate hydrogel, the most widespread is ionic crosslinking ( Sun & Tan, 2013 ). In the presence of multivalent cations, crosslinking is instantaneous and almost temperature-independent and allows solution/gel transformation under relatively mild conditions ( Cattelan et al, 2020 ). Alginate hydrogel has been widely used in tissue engineering and has been approved for phase II clinical trials in the treatment of MI ( Lee & Mooney, 2012 ).…”

3D Bioprinting of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells and Their Tenogenic Differentiation in Clinical-Grade Medium

“…Nanofibrillar cellulose and alginate are natural and xenogenic-free materials that make them particularly promising in wound healing, drug delivery and for bone and cartilage tissue engineering applications. Due to their high biocompatibility, bio-degradability, low cost and easy availability, they are widely used in the biomedical field and are already approved by the Food and drug Administration (FDA) for their use in dental applications and wound dressing [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. In particular, nanofibrillar cellulose has been successfully employed as a reinforcing agent in many biodegradable polymeric compositions for its high tensile strength properties, capacity to retain water and tunable surface chemistry properties [ 28 ].…”

Peptidic Alginate-Based Hydrogels Demonstrate Chemotaxis and Expansion to Adipose Tissue Derived and Blood Derived Stem Cells

“…One of the original scaffolds to be tested for regenerative medicine is sodium alginate derived from seaweed. This has undergone significant research by cardiac regenerative medicine specialists [5]. Interestingly, the material has had a very long history of use in dentistry with its principal application for recording the impression of teeth and oral mucosa for the construction of dentures.…”