Applications of Hydrogels with Special Physical Properties in Biomedicine

As a polymer matrix containing a large amount of water, hydrogels have been widely used in many fields such as biology and medicine due to its similarity to extracellular matrix components, and its contact with blood, body fluids, and human tissue does not affect the metabolic processes of living or...

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Published inPolymers Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 1420
Main Authors Chen, Gong, Tang, Wenwei, Wang, Xiaohui, Zhao, Xueling, Chen, Cheng, Zhu, Zhigang
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 29.08.2019
MDPI
Subjects
Biocompatibility
Biodegradability
biomedicine
Body fluids
Cell culture
Cytotoxicity
Human tissues
hydrogel
Hydrogels
Mechanical properties
Medical research
Moisture content
Nanocomposites
Nanoparticles
Physical properties
Polyethylene glycol
Polymers
Polyvinyl alcohol
Review
Tissue engineering
physical properties
hydrogel
biomedicine
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Summary:As a polymer matrix containing a large amount of water, hydrogels have been widely used in many fields such as biology and medicine due to its similarity to extracellular matrix components, and its contact with blood, body fluids, and human tissue does not affect the metabolic processes of living organisms. However, due to the lack of unique physical properties of traditional polymer hydrogels, its further application in the high-end field is limited. With the progress of study, a series of hydrogels with special structures, such as double network hydrogel, composite hydrogel, Tetra-PEG gel, and topological gel, have improved the situation to a large extent. At the same time, the progress of research on the biocompatibility and biodegradability of hydrogels, which are expected to be used in biomedical fields, is also worthy of attention. This review introduces four such types of high-strength polymeric hydrogels and the mechanisms for improving their mechanical strength. Moreover, a discussion will be made around specific methods for imparting special physical properties to hydrogels and applications in the field of biomedicine such as cell culture, medical surgery, tissue engineering, and biosensing. At the end of the review, the main reasons and contradictions for the limits of the current applications are explained. An outlook on the future research in related fields and the importance of carrying out research in this area to promote medical progress are emphasized.
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym11091420