Challenges for Natural Hydrogels in Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Protein-based biopolymers derived from natural tissues possess a hierarchical structure in their native state. Strongly solvating, reducing and stabilizing agents, as well as heat, pressure, and enzymes are used to isolate protein-based biopolymers from their natural tissue, solubilize them in aqueous solution and convert them into injectable or preformed hydrogels for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This review aims to highlight the need to investigate the nano-/micro-structure of hydrogels derived from the extracellular matrix proteins of natural tissues. Future work should focus on identifying the nature of secondary, tertiary, and higher order structure formation in protein-based hydrogels derived from natural tissues, quantifying their composition, and characterizing their binding pockets with cell surface receptors. These advances promise to lead to wide-spread use of protein-based hydrogels derived from natural tissues as injectable or preformed matrices for cell delivery in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Designer Self‐Assembling Peptide Hydrogels to Engineer 3D Cell Microenvironments for Cell Constructs Formation and Precise Oncology Remodeling in Ovarian Cancer

“…Despite the attractive developments in biomedical applications, due to high lot‐to‐lot variability, undefined matrix composition, and limited chemical modification, these natural hydrogels have been subjected to critical limitations in advanced or precise biomedical technologies for translational medicine, such as spatiotemporally controlled ex vivo microtissue models, biological functionalization incorporated by adhesive and degradable motifs, precisely controlling cell morphology, mechanical stiffness modulations, cell‐specific biomimicry or tissue‐specific components incorporated into hydrogel design, complex multiple cell types construct, [ 4b,48 ] since these biomedical technologies harbor the hierarchical stratified microarchitectures in their native state in vivo, which need be reconstructed by nanoscale methodologies. However, the natural hydrogels in themselves are unable to quantify their composition and characterize their cell binding pockets with cell surface receptors at the nanometer scale.…”

Biomaterials and biosensors in intestinal organoid culture, a progress review

“…Based on the types polymers extracted, the hydrogels can be classified into natural hydrogels and synthetic hydrogels. Although increasing evidence suggests that the synthetic hydrogels can act as tissue scaffolds with tunable mechanical strength, they lack important bioactive molecules, such as amino acids to support the adhesion, growth, and maturation of the encapsulated cells (Jabbari, ). In contrast, natural hydrogels contain the native tissue constituents of mammals, thus offering more appropriate conditions for intestinal organoid culture.…”

Alginate Hydrogels as Scaffolds and Delivery Systems to Repair the Damaged Spinal Cord

“…Both synthetic and natural materials have demonstrated their usefulness to reconstruct and replace the great majority of damaged tissues. [6,7,37] To do so, preformed materials should fulfill a series of requirements to be considered as optimal im- plants for promoting SC repair and neural tissue engineering. These include their lack of toxicity and immunogenicity, thus contributing to high biocompatibility.…”

“…The use of hydrogels provides a broad range of possibilities in biomedicine, ranging from cell and gene therapy, and drug delivery, to regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications . The success of this technology derives from the ability of hydrogels to retain high levels of water, as much as over 99%, which favors the entrapment of biological entities and increases their biocompatibility …”

“…The rapid development and extensive research sustained by polymer science have facilitated the appropriate design and preparation of a large number of scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Both synthetic and natural materials have demonstrated their usefulness to reconstruct and replace the great majority of damaged tissues . To do so, preformed materials should fulfill a series of requirements to be considered as optimal implants for promoting SC repair and neural tissue engineering.…”