School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China; Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Acta Biomater. 2022 Feb;139:4-21. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.04.027. Epub 2021 Apr 22.
Recently, injectable conducting polymer-based hydrogels (CPHs) have received increasing attention in tissue engineering owing to their controlled conductivity and minimally invasive procedures. Conducting polymers (CPs) are introduced into hydrogels to improve the electrical integration between hydrogels and host tissues and promote the repair of damaged tissues. Furthermore, endowing CPHs with in situ gelation or shear-thinning properties can reduce the injury size and inflammation caused by implanted surgery materials, which approaches the clinical transformation target of conductive biomaterials. Notably, functional CPs, including hydrophilic CP complexes, side-chain modified CPs, and conducting graft polymers, improve the water-dispersible and biocompatible properties of CPs and exhibit significant advantages in fabricating injectable CPHs under physiological conditions. This review discusses the recent progress in designing injectable hydrogels based on functional CPs. Their potential applications in neurological treatment, myocardial repair, and skeletal muscle regeneration are further highlighted. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Conducting polymer-based hydrogels (CPHs) have broad application prospects in the biomedical field. However, the low water dispersibility and processability of conducting polymers (CPs) make them challenging to form injectable CPHs uniformly. For the first time, this review summarizes the functionalization strategies to improve the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of CPs, which provides unprecedented advantages for designing and fabricating the physical/chemical crosslinked injectable CPHs. Besides, future challenges and prospects for further clinical transformation of injectable CPHs for tissue engineering are presented. This review's content is of great significance for the treatment of electroactive tissues with limited self-regeneration, including neurological treatment, myocardial repair, and skeletal muscle regeneration. Therefore, it is inspiring for the tissue engineering research of biomaterials and medical practitioners.
最近，可注射导电聚合物水凝胶（CPHs）由于其可控导电性和微创程序，在组织工程中受到越来越多的关注。导电聚合物（CPs）被引入水凝胶中，以改善水凝胶与宿主组织之间的电整合，并促进受损组织的修复。此外，赋予 CPHs 原位凝胶化或剪切稀化特性可以减少植入手术材料引起的损伤大小和炎症，这接近导电生物材料的临床转化目标。值得注意的是，功能化 CP，包括亲水 CP 配合物、侧链修饰 CP 和导电接枝聚合物，提高了 CP 的水分散性和生物相容性，并在生理条件下制备可注射 CPHs 方面表现出显著优势。本综述讨论了基于功能化 CP 的可注射水凝胶的最新进展。进一步强调了它们在神经治疗、心肌修复和骨骼肌再生方面的潜在应用。
基于导电聚合物的水凝胶（CPHs）在生物医学领域具有广泛的应用前景。然而，导电聚合物（CPs）的低水分散性和加工性使得它们难以均匀形成可注射的 CPHs。这是首次综述总结了提高 CP 亲水性和生物相容性的功能化策略，为设计和制备物理/化学交联的可注射 CPHs 提供了前所未有的优势。此外，还提出了用于组织工程的可注射 CPHs 进一步临床转化的未来挑战和前景。本综述的内容对于治疗自我再生能力有限的电活性组织（包括神经治疗、心肌修复和骨骼肌再生）具有重要意义。因此，它为生物材料组织工程研究和医学从业者提供了灵感。
