Abstract
The successful design of a hydrogel for tissue engineering requires a profound understanding of its constituents’ structural and molecular properties, as well as the proper selection of components. If the engineered processes are in line with the procedures that natural materials undergo to achieve the best network structure necessary for the formation of the hydrogel with desired properties, the failure rate of tissue engineering projects will be significantly reduced. In this review, we examine the behavior of proteins as an essential and effective component of hydrogels, and describe the factors that can enhance the protein-based hydrogels’ structure. Furthermore, we outline the fabrication route of protein-based hydrogels from protein microstructure and the selection of appropriate materials according to recent research to growth factors, crucial members of the protein family, and their delivery approaches. Finally, the unmet needs and current challenges in developing the ideal biomaterials for protein-based hydrogels are discussed, and emerging strategies in this area are highlighted.
Highlights
Tissue engineering (TE) has significantly evolved toward compensating for the major drawbacks existing in medicine, and has been gaining increasing attention, as millions of people are suffering from failure or loss of organs and tissues annually
Conformational changes from the third to the second structure result in the rise of random coil content, with unlimited flexibility within the protein structure, which favors the structure for gelation [43,44]
Sprague–Dawley rats with acute myocardial infarction were treated with these hydrogels, and the results revealed a significant enhancement in angiogenesis, fibrosis prevention, cardiac progenitor cells’ migration, and enhanced cardiac function
Summary
Tissue engineering (TE) has significantly evolved toward compensating for the major drawbacks existing in medicine, and has been gaining increasing attention, as millions of people are suffering from failure or loss of organs and tissues annually. TE relies on the progress and evolution of suitable scaffolds for perfectly imitating the extracellular matrix (ECM); in this regard, scholars have been in a great struggle to find structures possessing the desired characteristics, and over the years, they have investigated and developed various structures, such as nanofibers [1], sponges [2], thin films [3], nanoparticles [4], composites [5], and hydrogels [6], with different properties and origins for the fabrication of scaffolds Among these structures, hydrogels are one of the most ideal and promising candidates because of their biomimetic and tunable features, as well as their versatile fabrication methods [7–9]. Chemical cross-linking stabilizes the gel network using various methods such as covalent cross-linking, chemical coupling, and click reactions Hydrogels obtained from this technique possess improved stability, controllable degradation rate, and perfect mechanical properties in physiological circumstances. Current challenges and intriguing prospects of these hydrogels for TE research are mentioned
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