Engineering Bioresponsive Hydrogels toward Healthcare Applications

• Published in: Macromolecular chemistry and physics Vol. 217; no. 2; pp. 175 - 188
• Main Authors: Wu, Yun-Long, Chen, Xiaohong, Wang, Wenzhu, Loh, Xian Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: biomaterials; Biosensors; Cellular; Contact; Crosslinking; Health care; hydrogel; Hydrogels; Moisture content; Therapy; thermoresponsive
• ISSN: 1022-1352; 1521-3935
• DOI: 10.1002/macp.201500172

Hydrogels are polymeric materials recognized by high water content and various physical properties. They can be designed to look like the extracellular environment of the body's tissues in ways that empower their utilization in restorative therapies, biosensors, and drug‐conveyance applications. Hydrogels can be designed by utilizing a technique of facilitated control over physical‐structure properties and bioactivity to impact particular interactions with cell frameworks, including controlling the contact with cells and extracellular framework amid the thermogelling process. Essential new revelations using hydrogels in stem cell research, cancer treatment, and cell morphogenesis are reviewed. In this paper, group's work on Pluronics, poly(ε‐caprolactone), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly([R]‐3‐hydroxybutyrate), or poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐based copolymers as key hydrogel materials has been especially outlined, and group's experience has been provided in modulating the controlling parameters, for example, the thermogelling temperature, crosslinking, gel modulus, and basic gel fixation, when designing a bioresponsive hydrogel framework for bioapplications. Bioresponsive hydrogels are polymeric materials, designed to influence specific interactions with cellular systems during their biologically environmental dependent sol‐to‐gel transition process. Several key hydrogel materials developed in our group are discussed with reference to promising healthcare applications.