Biomimetic hydrogels as scaffolds for tissue-engineering applications

Abstract: Hydrogels are widely used in biomedical applications, especially tissue engineering. This chapter discusses recent progress in design and synthesis of biomimetic hydrogels as scaffolds for tissue engineering. An overview is given of the extracellular matrix (ECM) as a natural model for biomimetic modification of synthetic hydrogels, then bioactive molecules and approaches for preparing biomimetic hydrogels are described, followed by highlighting applications in bioengineering of various tissues. Finally, conclusions and perspectives are provided regarding biomimetic modification of hydrogels and challenges in developing biomimetic hydrogels as tissue-engineering scaffolds.