Bioactive hydrogels for bone regeneration

• Published in: Bioactive materials Vol. 3; no. 4; pp. 401 - 417
• Main Authors: Bai, Xin, Gao, Mingzhu, Syed, Sahla, Zhuang, Jerry, Xu, Xiaoyang, Zhang, Xue-Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Elsevier B.V 01.12.2018; KeAi Publishing; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: Biomaterials; Bone regeneration; Hydrogel; Tissue engineering; Hydrogel; Bone regeneration; Tissue engineering; Biomaterials
• ISSN: 2452-199X; 2452-199X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2018.05.006

Bone self-healing is limited and generally requires external intervention to augment bone repair and regeneration. While traditional methods for repairing bone defects such as autografts, allografts, and xenografts have been widely used, they all have corresponding disadvantages, thus limiting their clinical use. Despite the development of a variety of biomaterials, including metal implants, calcium phosphate cements (CPC), hydroxyapatite, etc., the desired therapeutic effect is not fully achieved. Currently, polymeric scaffolds, particularly hydrogels, are of interest and their unique configurations and tunable physicochemical properties have been extensively studied. This review will focus on the applications of various cutting-edge bioactive hydrogels systems in bone regeneration, as well as their advantages and limitations. We will examine the composition and defects of the bone, discuss the current biomaterials for bone regeneration, and classify recently developed polymeric materials for hydrogel synthesis. We will also elaborate on the properties of desirable hydrogels as well as the fabrication techniques and different delivery strategies. Finally, the existing challenges, considerations, and the future prospective of hydrogels in bone regeneration will be outlined. Schematic illustration of hydrogel-assisted bone regeneration. [Display omitted] •Microbeads have demonstrated great potential in encapsulating stem cells and drugs.•Nanogels delivered proteins to defects and effectively induced bone regeneration.•Hydrogel fibers have shown great promise in treating defects in load-bearing bones.•Stimuli-responsive hydrogel system is a novel technique in inducing bone formation.