Collagen-based materials in reproductive medicine and engineered reproductive tissues

Abstract

Collagen, the main component of mammal skin, has been traditionally used in leather manufacturing for thousands of years due to its diverse physicochemical properties. Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and the main component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The properties of collagen also make it an ideal building block for the engineering of materials for a range of biomedical applications. Reproductive medicine, especially human fertility preservation strategies and reproductive organ regeneration, has attracted significant attention in recent years as it is key in resolving the growing social concern over aging populations worldwide. Collagen-based biomaterials such as collagen hydrogels, decellularized ECM (dECM), and bioengineering techniques including collagen-based 3D bioprinting have facilitated the engineering of reproductive tissues. This review summarizes the recent progress in applying collagen-based biomaterials in reproductive. Furthermore, we discuss the prospects of collagen-based materials for engineering artificial reproductive tissues, hormone replacement therapy, and reproductive organ reconstruction, aiming to inspire new thoughts and advancements in engineered reproductive tissues research. Graphical abstract

Collagen-Based Organohydrogel Strain Sensor with Self-Healing and Adhesive Properties for Detecting Human Motion

“…The appearance of these two characteristic peaks proved that the extracted Col had the typical triple helix structure. 29 Likewise, the SDS−PAGE images of the extracted Col (Figure S1b) showed three distinct electrophoretic bands, indicating that the prepared Col had two distinct α chains (α1 and α2) and crosslinked β chains. 31 The three-dimensional network skeleton of the CDPAP organohydrogel was mainly composed of two dynamic crosslinking networks.…”

“…The selection of raw materials is also an important part for the preparation of hydrogel sensors. Collagen is one of the important components of natural animal skins (or hides) and possesses many unique advantages, such as excellent bioactivity, , biocompatibility, − and biodegradability. , It is considered as an ideal raw material for the preparation of biomimetic electronic skin and flexible sensors. However, few literature has reported the incorporation of collagen into conductive hydrogels to prepare self-healing flexible sensors.…”

Recent advances in smart‐responsive hydrogels for tissue repairing

“…With the deepening of related research, various hydrogels have been continuously developed for the repair of cartilage, tendon, cornea, meniscus and other tissues 147–149 . Thermosensitive hydrogels have become a research hotspot for cartilage tissue engineering scaffolds due to their unique physical properties similar to natural ECM 150 .…”

“…Application of smart-responsive hydrogels in other tissue repairsWith the deepening of related research, various hydrogels have been continuously developed for the repair of cartilage, tendon, cornea, meniscus and other tissues [147][148][149]. Thermosensitive hydrogels have become a research hotspot for cartilage tissue engineering scaffoldsF I G U R E 6 (A) Schematic diagram of repairing damaged nerves by conducting polymer hydrogel in response to near-infrared (NIR) light.…”

Collagen-Based Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering

“…Generally, collagens are made up of highly organized triple helix structure polypeptide chains and identified into up to 29 types, of which type I is the most abundant type and most often used in biomaterials. Collagen is generally fabricated into various forms such as sponges, membranes, gels, composites, etc. − …”