Smart Hydrogels for Tissue Regeneration.

The rapid growth in the portion of the aging population has led to a consequent increase in demand for biomedical hydrogels, together with an assortment of challenges that need to be overcome in this field. Smart hydrogels can autonomously sense and respond to the physiological/pathological changes of the tissue microenvironment and continuously adapt the response according to the dynamic spatiotemporal shifts in conditions. This along with other favorable properties, make smart hydrogels excellent materials for employing toward improving the precision of treatment for age-related diseases. The key factor during the design of smart hydrogels is on accurately identifying the characteristics of natural tissues and faithfully replicating the composition, structure, and biological functions of these tissues at the molecular level. Such hydrogels can accurately sense distinct physiological and external factors such as temperature and pH, biologically active molecules, mechanical signals, and other stimuli, so they may in turn actively and promptly adjust their response, by regulating their own biological effects, thereby promoting damaged tissue repair. This review summarizes the design strategies employed in the creation of smart hydrogels, their response mechanisms, as well as their applications in field of tissue engineering; and concludes by briefly discussing the relevant challenges and future prospects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.