Stimuli-Responsive Delivery of Growth Factors for Tissue Engineering

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Growth factors (GFs) play a crucial role in directing stem cell behavior and transmitting information between different cell populations for tissue regeneration. However, their utility as therapeutics is limited by their short half-life within the physiological microenvironment and significant side effects caused by off-target effects or improper dosage. "Smart" materials that can not only sustain therapeutic delivery over a treatment period but also facilitate on-demand release upon activation are attracting significant interest in the field of GF delivery for tissue engineering. Three properties are essential in engineering these "smart" materials: 1) the cargo vehicle protects the encapsulated therapeutic; 2) release is targeted to the site of injury; 3) cargo release can be modulated by disease-specific stimuli. The aim of this review is to summarize the current research on stimuli-responsive materials as intelligent vehicles for controlled GF delivery; Five main subfields of tissue engineering are discussed: skin, bone and cartilage, muscle, blood vessel, and nerve. Challenges in achieving such "smart" materials and perspectives on future applications of stimuli-responsive GF delivery for tissue regeneration are also discussed.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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