The hydrogels of natural extracellular
matrix (ECM) are excellent
biomaterials with promising applications in the physiological manufacture
of three-dimensional (3D) constructs that replicate native tissue-like
architectures and function as cargo-delivery, 3D bioprinting, or injectable
systems. ECM hydrogels retain the bioactivity to trigger key cellular
processes in the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM)
strategies. However, they lack suitable physicochemical properties,
which restricts their applications in vivo. This
demand that mechanical and degradation properties of the ECM hydrogels
must be balanced against biological properties. By incorporating poly(ethylene
glycol) (PEG) into mammalian type I collagen-rich ECM substrates,
this task can be accomplished. This review is focused on the use of
PEG derivatives, widely used in formulations of pharmaceutical products
or in synthesis of biomedical polyurethanes, as a strategy to modulate
both physical and biological properties of natural ECM hydrogels.
The processing–property relationship in decellularized ECM
hydrogels, as well as the main results when used in TERM, are discussed.
A comparison of the characteristics of PEG-ECM hydrogels is provided
in terms of the improvement of structure, mechanics, and degradation
behavior. Finally, the benefits of producing PEG-ECM hydrogels according
to in vitro and in vivo performance
in different proofs-of-concept of emergent biomedical technologies
are overviewed.