Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
Fundación IVI, IVI-RMA Global, 46026 Valencia, Spain.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 29;23(7):3765. doi: 10.3390/ijms23073765.
Bioengineering and reproductive medicine have progressed shoulder to shoulder for several decades. A key point of overlap is the development and clinical translation of technologies to support reproductive health, e.g., scaffold-free constructs, polymeric scaffolds, bioprinting or microfluidics, and hydrogels. Hydrogels are the focus of intense study, and those that are derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) of reproductive tissues and organs are emerging as promising new players given their results in pre-clinical models. This literature review addresses the recent advances in the use of organ-specific ECM hydrogels in reproductive medicine, considering the entire female reproductive tract. We discuss in-depth papers describing the development of ECM hydrogels, their use in in vitro models, and their in vivo application in preclinical studies. We also summarize the functions of hydrogels, including as grafts, carriers for cell transplantation, or drug depots, and present the potential and possible scope for use of ECM hydrogels in the near future based on recent scientific advances.
生物工程和生殖医学并肩发展了几十年。一个重要的重叠点是支持生殖健康的技术的开发和临床转化，例如无支架构建体、聚合物支架、生物打印或微流控和水凝胶。水凝胶是研究的重点，源自生殖组织和器官的细胞外基质 (ECM) 的水凝胶作为有前途的新参与者出现，因为它们在临床前模型中的结果。本文综述了生殖医学中使用特定于器官的 ECM 水凝胶的最新进展，考虑了整个女性生殖道。我们深入讨论了描述 ECM 水凝胶开发、在体外模型中的应用以及在临床前研究中的体内应用的论文。我们还总结了水凝胶的功能，包括作为移植物、细胞移植载体或药物库，并根据最近的科学进展，概述了 ECM 水凝胶在不久的将来的潜力和可能的应用范围。
