Biomaterial strategies for the application of reproductive tissue engineering

Bioact Mater. 2021 Dec 20:14:86-96. doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.11.023. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Human reproductive organs are of vital importance to the life of an individual and the reproduction of human populations. So far, traditional methods have a limited effect in recovering the function and fertility of reproductive organs and tissues. Thus, aim to replace and facilitate the regrowth of damaged or diseased tissue, various biomaterials are developed to offer hope to overcome these difficulties and help gain further research progress in reproductive tissue engineering. In this review, we focus on the biomaterials and their four main applications in reproductive tissue engineering: in vitro generation and culture of reproductive cells; development of reproductive organoids and models; in vivo transplantation of reproductive cells or tissues; and regeneration of reproductive tissue. In reproductive tissue engineering, designing biomaterials for different applications with different mechanical properties, structure, function, and microenvironment is challenging and important, and deserves more attention.

Keywords: Biomaterials; Organoids and models; Reproductive tissue engineering.

Publication types

  • Review