review · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Cardiac tissue engineering aims to restore damaged heart tissue by integrating biomolecules, biomimetic scaffolds, and living cells. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels offer three-dimensional biomaterial platforms that mimic native tissue physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties. Unlike conventional hydrogels, these responsive systems provide appropriate aqueous conditions and mechanical stability necessary for cellular development, while also operating as effective carriers for biomolecule delivery. Fabricated using a range of natural and synthetic polymers, these smart hydrogels introduce tailored capabilities and improved structural characteristics. Advancements in their design, assembly, and functional exploitation address historical drawbacks in standard hydrogel scaffolds, establishing stimuli-responsive hydrogels as viable options for cardiac tissue reconstruction and regenerative medicine applications.
Heart damage requires specialised interventions to restore lost functionality. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels represent an adaptable class of biomaterials capable of matching native tissue behaviour and supporting new cell growth. Understanding how these smart platforms function and deliver active biomolecules helps researchers design more effective scaffolds for cardiac tissue repair and regenerative healthcare.
The reviewed technologies focus on scaffold design and biomolecule delivery platforms for cardiac tissue reconstruction, targeting regenerative medicine developers and biomedical researchers. Because the work is a review examining structural assembly, polymer types, and design strategies rather than a validated clinical product, these technologies appear to be at an early research stage, requiring substantial developmental testing before practical clinical use.
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Biomedicine and tissue regeneration have made significant advancements recently, positively affecting the whole healthcare spectrum. This opened the way for them to develop their applications for revitalizing damaged tissues. Thus, their functionality will be restored. Cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) using curative procedures that combine biomolecules, biomimetic scaffolds, and cells plays a critical part in this path. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels (SRHs) are excellent three-dimensional (3D) biomaterials for tissue engineering (TE) and various biomedical applications. They can mimic the intrinsic tissues' physicochemical, mechanical, and biological characteristics in a variety of ways. They also provide for 3D setup, adequate aqueous conditions, and the mechanical consistency required for cell development. Furthermore, they function as competent delivery platforms for various biomolecules. Many natural and synthetic polymers were used to fabricate these intelligent platforms with innovative enhanced features and specialized capabilities that are appropriate for CTE applications. In the present review, different strategies employed for CTE were outlined. The light was shed on the limitations of the use of conventional hydrogels in CTE. Moreover, diverse types of SRHs, their characteristics, assembly and exploitation for CTE were discussed. To summarize, recent development in the construction of SRHs increases their potential to operate as intelligent, sophisticated systems in the reconstruction of degenerated cardiac tissues.
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DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1174075
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