Bioresponsive Hydrogels: Chemical Strategies and Perspectives in Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Disease, trauma, and aging account for a significant number of clinical disorders. Regenerative medicine is emerging as a very promising therapeutic option. The design and development of new cell-customised biomaterials able to mimic extracellular matrix (ECM) functionalities represents one of the major strategies to control the cell fate and stimulate tissue regeneration. Recently, hydrogels have received a considerable interest for their use in the modulation and control of cell fate during the regeneration processes. Several synthetic bioresponsive hydrogels are being developed in order to facilitate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. In this review, new strategies and future perspectives of such synthetic cell microenvironments will be highlighted.

Ecofriendly renewable hydrogels based on whey protein and for slow release of fertilizers and soil conditioning

“…Interactions between water molecules and biopolymers are based on hydrogen bonds, which are weaker than the break point of the covalent bond. Once water external to the hydrogel evaporates, sufficient thermal energy exists to break the hydrogen bonds between any water stored internally and the structure of the hydrogel (Casolaro et al, 2016;Sgambato et al, 2016).…”

Recent advances in smart hydrogels for biomedical applications: From self-assembly to functional approaches

“…Bioresponsive hydrogels, also called biologically stimulated or biomolecule responsive hydrogels, are biomaterials able to undergo structural modifications (swelling or deswelling, degradation or erosion and mechanical deformation) mediated by biological reactions. Changes might occur in response to increased concentrations of specific biomolecule availability (proteins, peptides, enzymes, antibodies) in physiological environments or under pathological conditions [131].…”

“…Glucose-responsive hydrogels are widely used in diabetes treatments [42], compensating for the inability of the pancreas to control glucose levels in the blood [135]. Furthermore, these systems can exhibit different strategies for insulin self-regulation: those that use glucose oxidase, lectin (concanavalin A) and phenylboronic acid [131,132,151].…”

Glycans in Nanomedicine, Impact and Perspectives

“…The most used polysaccharides are HA, chitosan, alginate, CS, polysialic acid (PSA) and in general glucosaminoglycans (GAGs; Figure 5). The literature on this matter is extensive and has been reviewed [83][84][85][86][87][88]; our intent is to summarize and schematize; Table 3 reports the most relevant examples and their main applications.…”