Recent Advances in Design of Functional Biocompatible Hydrogels for Bone Tissue Engineering

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 31; no. 19
• Main Authors: Xue, Xu, Hu, Yan, Deng, Yonghui, Su, Jiacan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Arthritis; Biocompatibility; biocompatible materials; Biological activity; Biomedical materials; bone tissue engineering; Bones; Cartilage; Chitosan; Design defects; drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; Growth factors; Hyaluronic acid; Hydrogels; Materials science; Nanoparticles; Polyethylene glycol; Pore size; Regeneration (physiology); Scaffolds; Three dimensional printing; Tissue engineering
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202009432

Bone related diseases have caused serious threats to human health owing to their complexity and specificity. Fortunately, owing to the unique 3D network structure with high aqueous content and functional properties, emerging hydrogels are regarded as one of the most promising candidates for bone tissue engineering, such as repairing cartilage injury, skull defect, and arthritis. Herein, various design strategies and synthesis methods (e.g., 3D‐printing technology and nanoparticle composite strategy) are introduced to prepare implanted hydrogel scaffolds with tunable mechanical strength, favorable biocompatibility, and excellent bioactivity for applying in bone regeneration. Injectable hydrogels based on biocompatible materials (e.g., collagen, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, polyethylene glycol, etc.) possess many advantages in minimally invasive surgery, including adjustable physicochemical properties, filling irregular shapes of defect sites, and on‐demand release drugs or growth factors in response to different stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, redox, enzyme, light, magnetic, etc.). In addition, drug delivery systems based on micro/nanogels are discussed, and its numerous promising designs used in the application of bone diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, cartilage defect) are also briefed in this review. Particularly, several key factors of hydrogel scaffolds (e.g., mechanical property, pore size, and release behavior of active factors) that can induce bone tissue regeneration are also summarized in this review. It is anticipated that advanced approaches and innovative ideas of bioactive hydrogels will be exploited in the clinical field and increase the life quality of patients with the bone injury. Biocompatible hydrogels based on synthetic or natural polymers possess a 3D network with high aqueous content and functional properties, enabling their wide applications in bone tissue engineering. Recent advances in the design, fabrication, and applications of implantable, injectable hydrogel scaffolds and micro/nanogels in the field of bone tissue engineering are reviewed.