Advances in the Application of Supramolecular Hydrogels for Stem Cell Delivery and Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Cartilage defects pose a great threat to the health of the aging population. Cartilage has limited self-regeneration ability because it lacks blood vessels, nerves and lymph. To achieve efficient cartilage regeneration, supramolecular hydrogels are used in medical applications and tissue engineering as they are tunable and reversible in nature. Moreover, they possess supramolecular interactions which allow the incorporation of cells. These hydrogels present great potential for tissue engineering-based therapies. This review presents advances in the development of stem cell-laden supramolecular hydrogels. We discuss new possibilities for stem cell therapy and their uses in cartilage tissue engineering. Gray areas and future perspectives are discussed.

From Supramolecular Hydrogels to Multifunctional Carriers for Biologically Active Substances

“…Numerous scientific reports have focused on the use of molecular hydrogels in the regeneration of cartilage and bone [ 1 , 29 , 151 ]. Hou et al prepared an injectable supramolecular hydrogel based on dextran by grafting a significant number of multiple-hydrogen-bond (ureidopyrimidinone) [ 152 ].…”

Advances of Hydrogel-Based Bioprinting for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

“…Cartilaginous tissue possesses a hydrated heterogeneous and avascular structure with specific characterizations of low friction, wear-resistant, and load-bearing surfaces for effective joint protection and movement ( Yan et al, 2020 ). Although many conventional surgical treatments have been proposed for chondral injuries, few clinical studies have shown the reliable regeneration of normal hyaline cartilage due to its poor self-healing capacity originating from the insufficient supply for defected sites.…”

Current Trends of Targeted Drug Delivery for Oral Cancer Therapy

“…Hydrogels have a three-dimensional (3D) porous and interconnected structures that not only provide a biocompatible microenvironment for cell attachment and proliferation but also possess many unique advantages on the targeted drug delivery systems (Maitra and Kumar Shukla, 2014;Cao et al, 2018;Ketabat et al, 2018;Bao et al, 2019;Xu et al, 2020;Yan et al, 2020). Compared to the nanoparticlebased carriers, hydrogels provide sustained or triggered administration of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic agents and other biomolecules.…”