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Hydrogels in Tissue Engineering

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Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

The successful engineering of synthetic hydrogels that exhibit key features of the natural extracellular matrices has led to significant advances in the field of tissue engineering. Various chemical and physical approaches have been developed for hydrogel synthesis. While the chemical methods rely on the presence of readily addressable functional groups for the formation of covalent bonds at the crosslinking points, the physical approaches utilize weak and reversible interactions for gelation purposes. In many cases, physical gels need to be covalently stabilized for their long term applications in tissue engineering. Over the past decade, hydrogels have evolved from passive scaffolding materials to bioactive and cell-responsive matrices that play a defining role in the regulation of cellular functions and tissue growth. Novel hydrogels with tunable microstructures, mechanical properties, and degradation rates have been engineered. Biological motifs or soluble factors have been successfully incorporated in the hydrogel matrices to allow for a higher level of cell-matrix communication. These synthesis methods have resulted in the production of a wide variety of functional hydrogels that support the growth of many different tissue types. The development of the next generation biomimetic hydrogels relies on parallel advancements in materials chemistry, cell biology and developmental biology.

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Abbreviations

ADH:

Adipic acid dihydrazide

BMP-2:

Bone morphogenic protein 2

CD:

Cyclodextrin

CryoSEM:

Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy

DXN:

Doubly crosslinked network

ECM:

Extracellular matrix

EDC:

N,N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N-ethyl carbodiimide

ELP:

Elastin-like polypeptide

Fmoc:

Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl

GAG:

Glycosaminoglycan

HA:

Hyaluronic acid

HBGF:

Heparin binding growth factor

HBP:

Heparin-binding peptide

HGP:

Hydrogel particle

HGP-P1 :

Perlecan domain I conjugated hydrogel particles

HMDI:

1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate

HRP:

Horse radish peroxidase

HSPG:

Heparan sulfate proteoglycan

IGF:

Insulin-like growth factor

MMP:

Matrix metalloproteinase

OPF:

Oligo[poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate]

OTMC:

Oligo (trimethylene carbonate)

PCL:

Poly(ε-caprolactone)

PDLA:

Poly(d-lactide)

PEG:

Poly(ethylene glycol)

PEGDA:

Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate

PGA:

Poly(glycolic acid)

PLA:

Poly(lactic acid)

PLGA:

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)

PLLA:

Poly(l-lactide)

PlnDI:

Domain I of perlecan

PMAA:

Poly(methacrylic acid)

PAA:

Poly(acrylic acid)

PPF:

Poly(propylene fumarate)

PVA:

Poly(vinyl alcohol)

PVFF:

Porcine vocal fold fibroblast

RGD:

Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

sGAG:

Synthetic glycosaminoglycan

TGF:

Transforming growth factor

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding from the US National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) and the US National Science Foundation (Division of Materials Research, Biomaterials Program).

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  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Xinqiao Jia

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  1. Sarah E. Grieshaber
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  2. Amit K. Jha
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  3. Alexandra J. E. Farran
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  4. Xinqiao Jia
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Correspondence to Xinqiao Jia .

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  1. Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, 210 S. 33rd Street, 240 Skirkanich Hall, 19104-6321, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Jason A. Burdick

  2. Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, 36th Street and Hamilton Walk, 19104, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Robert L. Mauck

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Grieshaber, S.E., Jha, A.K., Farran, A.J.E., Jia, X. (2011). Hydrogels in Tissue Engineering. In: Burdick, J.A., Mauck, R.L. (eds) Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0385-2_2

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