Gelatin Methacryloyl Hydrogels for Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders are a significant burden on the global economy and public health. Hydrogels have significant potential for enhancing the repair of damaged and injured musculoskeletal tissues as cell or drug delivery systems. Hydrogels have unique physicochemical properties which make them promising platforms for controlling cell functions. Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel in particular has been extensively investigated as a promising biomaterial due to its tuneable and beneficial properties and has been widely used in different biomedical applications. In this review, a detailed overview of GelMA synthesis, hydrogel design and applications in regenerative medicine is provided. After summarising recent progress in hydrogels more broadly, we highlight recent advances of GelMA hydrogels in the emerging fields of musculoskeletal drug delivery, involving therapeutic drugs (e.g., growth factors, antimicrobial molecules, immunomodulatory drugs and cells), delivery approaches (e.g., single-, dual-release system), and material design (e.g., addition of organic or inorganic materials, 3D printing). The review concludes with future perspectives and associated challenges for developing local drug delivery for musculoskeletal applications.

Recent advances in GelMA hydrogel transplantation for musculoskeletal disorders and related disease treatment

“…Compared with other bone graft substitutes, hydrogels are expected to become important materials for bone defect repair due to their good biocompatibility, porous structure like bone ECM and controllable shape [52]. GelMA hydrogels not only have unique photocrosslinking properties, but also have controlled mechanical properties, controlled degradation properties and good biocompatibility, making them widely used in the study of bone defects [53]. It was found that GelMA not only mimics the ECM environment of bone and promotes osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, but can be combined with other materials, cells, cytokines, drugs and exosomes to enhance its ability to repair bone defects.…”

Development of a 3Din vitrohuman-sized model of cervical dysplasia to evaluate the delivery of ethyl cellulose-ethanol injection for the treatment of cervical dysplasia ablation

“…We selected GelMA as the supportive matrix for human fibroblast cells and cervical cancer cells due to its biocompatibility and wide application in tissue engineering. (26) We conducted a rheological characterization of the GelMA hydrogel formulation used in our model and compared its mechanical properties with human cervical tissue. We confirmed that the GelMA hydrogel-based model demonstrated compatibility with human cervical tissue in terms of mechanical properties, and their values range in similar magnitudes to those observed in the literature.…”

Recent Advances in the Application of Natural and Synthetic Polymer-Based Scaffolds in Musculoskeletal Regeneration

“…Furthermore, gelatin molecules contain many chemically modifiable functional groups that can be modulated by various chemical modification methods or loaded with drugs and used as carriers for the delivery of biological materials [ 37 , 38 ]. Additionally, gelatin has gelatinization properties [ 39 ] that allow the preparation of a wide range of gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels for the design of tissue analogs ranging from the vascular system to bone [ 40 ].…”