De Leon-Oliva Diego, Boaru Diego Liviu, Perez-Exposito Roque Emilio, Fraile-Martinez Oscar, García-Montero Cielo, Diaz Raul, Bujan Julia, García-Honduvilla Natalio, Lopez-Gonzalez Laura, Álvarez-Mon Melchor, Saz Jose V, de la Torre Basilio, Ortega Miguel A
Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain.
Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain.
Gels. 2023 Nov 8;9(11):885. doi: 10.3390/gels9110885.
Bone and cartilage tissue play multiple roles in the organism, including kinematic support, protection of organs, and hematopoiesis. Bone and, above all, cartilaginous tissues present an inherently limited capacity for self-regeneration. The increasing prevalence of disorders affecting these crucial tissues, such as bone fractures, bone metastases, osteoporosis, or osteoarthritis, underscores the urgent imperative to investigate therapeutic strategies capable of effectively addressing the challenges associated with their degeneration and damage. In this context, the emerging field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) has made important contributions through the development of advanced hydrogels. These crosslinked three-dimensional networks can retain substantial amounts of water, thus mimicking the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Hydrogels exhibit exceptional biocompatibility, customizable mechanical properties, and the ability to encapsulate bioactive molecules and cells. In addition, they can be meticulously tailored to the specific needs of each patient, providing a promising alternative to conventional surgical procedures and reducing the risk of subsequent adverse reactions. However, some issues need to be addressed, such as lack of mechanical strength, inconsistent properties, and low-cell viability. This review describes the structure and regeneration of bone and cartilage tissue. Then, we present an overview of hydrogels, including their classification, synthesis, and biomedical applications. Following this, we review the most relevant and recent advanced hydrogels in TERM for bone and cartilage tissue regeneration.
骨骼和软骨组织在生物体内发挥着多种作用，包括运动支持、器官保护和造血功能。骨骼尤其是软骨组织本身的自我再生能力有限。影响这些关键组织的疾病（如骨折、骨转移、骨质疏松症或骨关节炎）的发病率不断上升，凸显了迫切需要研究能够有效应对与其退化和损伤相关挑战的治疗策略。在此背景下，组织工程与再生医学（TERM）这一新兴领域通过开发先进水凝胶做出了重要贡献。这些交联的三维网络可以保留大量水分，从而模拟天然细胞外基质（ECM）。水凝胶具有出色的生物相容性、可定制的机械性能以及封装生物活性分子和细胞的能力。此外，它们可以根据每位患者的特定需求进行精心定制，为传统外科手术提供了一种有前景的替代方案，并降低了后续不良反应的风险。然而，一些问题需要解决，例如机械强度不足、性能不一致以及细胞活力低。本综述描述了骨骼和软骨组织的结构与再生。然后，我们概述了水凝胶，包括其分类、合成及生物医学应用。在此之后，我们回顾了TERM中用于骨骼和软骨组织再生的最相关且最新的先进水凝胶。
