Applications of Hydrogels in Premature Ovarian Failure and Intrauterine Adhesion

Infertility treatment using polysaccharides-based hydrogels: new strategies in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Infertility is a primary health issue affecting about 15% of couples of reproductive ages worldwide, leading to physical, mental, and social challenges. Advances in nanobiotechnology and regenerative medicine are opening new therapeutic horizons for infertility by developing polysaccharide-based nanostructured biomaterials. This review explores the role of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in infertility treatment, explicitly focusing on the promising potential of polysaccharide-based hydrogels. In this context, using these biomaterials offers unique advantages, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, and the ability to mimic the natural endometrial microenvironment, making them highly effective for applications in endometrial regeneration, ovarian tissue engineering, spermatogenesis support, and controlled drug delivery. This review discusses the various properties and uses of polysaccharide-based hydrogels, like alginate, hyaluronic acid, and chitosan, in helping to restore reproductive function. While these materials hold great promise, some notable challenges to their clinical use include issues like rapid degradation, mechanical instability, and potential immune reactions. Future research should focus on developing hybrid hydrogels, investigating advanced fabrication techniques, and testing these materials in clinical settings. By combining findings from recent studies, this review aims to provide a solid foundation for researchers and clinicians looking to discover new and effective strategies for treating infertility, ultimately connecting research efforts with practical applications in healthcare.

Dramatic improvement in the mechanical properties of polydopamine/polyacrylamide hydrogel mediated human amniotic membrane

Human amniotic membrane (hAM) is a promising material for tissue engineering due to several benefits, including desirable biocompatibility, stem cell source, antibacterial activity, etc. However, because of its low elasticity, the clinical application of hAM is severely restricted. To solve this issue, we employed polydopamine/polyacrylamide (PDA/PAM) hydrogels to toughen hAM. The test results indicated that the PDA/PAM hydrogel can enhance the toughness of hAM dramatically due to the formation of abundant chemical bonds and the strong mechanical properties of the hydrogel itself. Compared to pure hAM, the break elongation and tensile strength of PDA/PAM-toughened hAM rose by 154.15 and 492.31%, respectively. And most importantly, the fracture toughness was almost 15 times higher than untreated hAM. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the PDA/PAM-coated hAM was not detected due to the superior biocompatibility of the chemicals used in the study. Treating hAM with adhesive hydrogels to increase its mechanical characteristics will further promote the application of hAM as a tissue engineering material.