Peptide-Based Hydrogels: Template Materials for Tissue Engineering

Tissue and organ regeneration are challenging issues, yet they represent the frontier of current research in the biomedical field. Currently, a major problem is the lack of ideal scaffold materials' definition. As well known, peptide hydrogels have attracted increasing attention in recent years thanks to significant properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, good mechanical stability, and tissue-like elasticity. Such properties make them excellent candidates for 3D scaffold materials. In this review, the first aim is to describe the main features of a peptide hydrogel in order to be considered as a 3D scaffold, focusing in particular on mechanical properties, as well as on biodegradability and bioactivity. Then, some recent applications of peptide hydrogels in tissue engineering, including soft and hard tissues, will be discussed to analyze the most relevant research trends in this field.

Automated summary

Tissue and organ regeneration is a frontier research in the biomedical field, and the lack of ideal scaffold materials is a major problem. Peptide hydrogels have gained increasing attention due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, good mechanical stability, and tissue-like elasticity, making them excellent candidates for 3D scaffold materials. This review describes the main features of peptide hydrogels as 3D scaffolds, focusing on mechanical properties, biodegradability, and bioactivity, and discusses recent applications in tissue engineering.