Injectable Hydrogels for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

• Published in: Macromolecular bioscience 2018-06, Vol.18 (6), p.e1800079-n/a
• Main Authors: Peña, Brisa, Laughter, Melissa, Jett, Susan, Rowland, Teisha J., Taylor, Matthew R. G., Mestroni, Luisa, Park, Daewon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alginates; Alginates - chemistry; Alginates - therapeutic use; Alginic acid; Animals; Biomimetic materials; cardiac regeneration; cardiac tissue engineering; Design engineering; Heart; Heart diseases; Heart Ventricles - metabolism; Humans; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; Hydrogels - therapeutic use; injectable hydrogels; Molecular chains; Myocardial infarction; Myocardium - metabolism; Preservation; Regeneration; Stroke Volume - drug effects; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Ventricle
• ISSN: 1616-5187; 1616-5195
• DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201800079

In light of the limited efficacy of current treatments for cardiac regeneration, tissue engineering approaches have been explored for their potential to provide mechanical support to injured cardiac tissues, deliver cardio‐protective molecules, and improve cell‐based therapeutic techniques. Injectable hydrogels are a particularly appealing system as they hold promise as a minimally invasive therapeutic approach. Moreover, injectable acellular alginate‐based hydrogels have been tested clinically in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and show preservation of the left ventricular (LV) indices and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This review provides an overview of recent developments that have occurred in the design and engineering of various injectable hydrogel systems for cardiac tissue engineering efforts, including a comparison of natural versus synthetic systems with emphasis on the ideal characteristics for biomimetic cardiac materials. Injectable hydrogels for cardiac tissue engineering can be used for in vitro models, in vivo preclinical purposes, and for clinical trials.