Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, No. 1 The South of Maoyuan Road, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, China.
Biomed Res Int. 2021 Aug 19;2021:2818624. doi: 10.1155/2021/2818624. eCollection 2021.
Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is caused by genetics, aging, and environmental factors and is one of the leading causes of low back pain. The treatment of IDD presents many challenges. Hydrogels are biomaterials that possess properties similar to those of the natural extracellular matrix and have significant potential in the field of regenerative medicine. Hydrogels with various functional qualities have recently been used to repair and regenerate diseased intervertebral discs. Here, we review the mechanisms of intervertebral disc homeostasis and degeneration and then discuss the applications of hydrogel-mediated repair and intervertebral disc regeneration. The classification of artificial hydrogels and natural hydrogels is then briefly introduced, followed by an update on the development of functional hydrogels, which include noncellular therapeutic hydrogels, cellular therapeutic hydrogel scaffolds, responsive hydrogels, and multifunctional hydrogels. The challenges faced and future developments of the hydrogels used in IDD are discussed as they further promote their clinical translation.
椎间盘退变（IDD）是由遗传、衰老和环境因素引起的，是导致下腰痛的主要原因之一。IDD 的治疗存在诸多挑战。水凝胶是一种具有类似于天然细胞外基质特性的生物材料，在再生医学领域具有巨大的潜力。具有各种功能特性的水凝胶最近已被用于修复和再生患病的椎间盘。在这里，我们回顾了椎间盘内稳态和退变的机制，然后讨论了水凝胶介导的修复和椎间盘再生的应用。接着简要介绍了人工水凝胶和天然水凝胶的分类，然后介绍了功能性水凝胶的最新进展，包括非细胞治疗性水凝胶、细胞治疗性水凝胶支架、响应性水凝胶和多功能水凝胶。讨论了 IDD 中使用的水凝胶所面临的挑战和未来的发展，以进一步促进其临床转化。
