Fibrinogen as a promising material for various biomedical applications

As demands for innovative drug carriers and transplantable organs increase, many researchers have developed diverse drug carriers and scaffolds using various materials. However, several candidate materials have shown systemic toxicity, making them unsuitable for clinical use. Fibrinogen (Fbg), a natural polymer, could be a promising material for applications in biomedical engineering owing to its biocompatibility and biodegradability, as reported in numerous studies. Moreover, autologous Fbg is abundant in blood and can be easily extracted, presenting Fbg as an excellent biomaterial for biomedical applications due to minimal immunological rejection. In addition, the biocompatibility of other materials could be improved by combining them with Fbg. Over the next few years, Fbg could be widely used in various biomedical and clinical fields. Here, we discuss the characteristics of Fbg and fabricating methods for Fbg scaffolds in various biomedical applications. The future prospects of Fbg as an applicable biomaterial, especially in organ fabrication by the cutting-edge 3D bioprinting technology, are also presented.