Agarose-based biomaterials for tissue engineering

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers Vol. 187; pp. 66 - 84
• Main Authors: Zarrintaj, Payam, Manouchehri, Saeed, Ahmadi, Zahed, Saeb, Mohammad Reza, Urbanska, Aleksandra M., Kaplan, David L., Mozafari, Masoud
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Agarose; Biomaterials; Carbohydrate polymers; Polysaccharide; Regenerative medicine; Tissue engineering; Carbohydrate polymers; Tissue engineering; Regenerative medicine; Polysaccharide; Agarose; Biomaterials
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.01.060

•Agarose has shown unique characteristics for tissue engineering applications.•Agarose can be an excellent candidate for controlled/localized drug delivery.•Agarose has resemblances to the extracellular matrix suitable for tissue engineering.•Agarose tunable properties make it suitable for various medicine-oriented applications.•Agarose exhibits controllable permeation for oxygen and nutrients.•Agarose has a low rejection potential against immune system due to its inert structure.•Agarose is a suitable biomaterial for cell-encapsulation because of high water uptake capability. Agarose is a natural polysaccharide polymer having unique characteristics that give reason to consider it for tissue engineering applications. Special characteristics of agarose such as its excellent biocompatibility, thermo-reversible gelation behavior and physiochemical features support its use as a biomaterial for cell growth and/or controlled/localized drug delivery. The resemblance of this natural carbohydrate polymer to the extracellular matrix results in attractive features that bring about a strong interest in its usage in the field. The scope of this review is to summarize the extensive researches addressing agarose-based biomaterials in order to provide an in-depth understanding of its tissue engineering-related applications.