4 - Hydrogels in craniofacial tissue engineering

Abstract

Hydrogels are widely used in tissue engineering (TE) applications either for cell encapsulation or in cell free approaches. Moreover, these biomaterials have been used for growth factor and drug delivery applications. Tissue regeneration using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) encapsulated in hydrogel scaffolds is an alternative advantageous therapeutic option in comparison to current regenerative treatment modalities. Hydrogel biomaterials are extensively utilized to engineer and mimic the physiochemical properties of the extracellular stem cell microenvironment to mimic niche characteristics and regulate cell phenotype and differentiation. 2D and 3D scaffolds have been largely used to study stem cell–biomaterial interactions by encapsulating stem cells within hydrogel biomaterials. Recent advances in regenerative medicine allow us to replace and repair organs or structures by regulating the differentiation of undifferentiated MSCs. The craniofacial system is composed of complex hard and soft tissues derived from sophisticated processes starting from embryonic development. Owing to the complexity of the craniofacial tissues application of stem cells presents challenges in terms of size, shape, and form of the engineered structures, specialized final developed cells, and the modulation of the timely blood supply while limiting inflammatory and immunological responses. Hydrogel scaffolds seeded with appropriate MSCs can provide a suitable microenvironment for prolonged cell viability and differentiation potential that could be a promising treatment modality for tissue regeneration. This review aims to summarize currently available hydrogels biomaterials for applications in stem cell-mediated craniofacial TE.