J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2023, Vol. 136: 21-31.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2022.07.008

• Review Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Hydrogels for bone organoid construction: From a materiobiological perspective

Shunli Wua,b,c,1, Xianmin Wud,1, Xiuhui Wanga,*, Jiacan Sua,e,*   

  1. aInstitute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China;
    bSchool of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China;
    cSchool of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China;
    dDepartment of Orthopedics Trauma, Zhongye Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai 201900, China;
    eDepartment of Orthopaedics Trauma, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
  • Received:2022-03-31 Revised:2022-06-21 Accepted:2022-07-18 Published:2023-02-10 Online:2022-08-06
  • Contact: * E-mail addresses: blackrabbit@shu.edu.cn (X. Wang), drsujiacan@163.com (J. Su).
  • About author:Xiuhui Wang received her B.S. from Liaocheng University (2012), M.S. from Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2015) and Ph.D. from University of Tsukuba (2019, Japan). Then she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at National Institute for Materials Science in Japan. Since Jan. 2020, she joined in Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai Univer- sity. Her research interests focus on biomaterials and tis- sue regeneration.
    Jiacan Su obtained his B.S. from Second Military Medical University in 1999. Then, he continued his succes- sive postgraduate and doctoral programs of study at the Second Military Medical University from 1999 to 2004. From 2009 to 2011, he worked as a postdoctoral candi- date under the guidance of Academician Liu Changsheng. In 2008, he was promoted to deputy chief physician and raised to Chief Physician (2015) in Changhai hospital. His research focus on critical trauma care, basic and clinical research of osteoporosis, and the development and trans- formation of military-civilian fusion medical equipment and biomaterials.
    1 These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Bone organoids, which simulate and construct special organs in vitro with complex biological functions based on tissue engineering technology, provide dramatically realistic models for bone regenerative medicine development and lay the foundation for a new therapeutic strategy. The matrix microenvironment around tissues and cells plays a key role in the physiological functions and phenotypes of bone organoids. Traditionally, the commercially available Matrigel has been widely applied for organoid cultures. However, Matrigel is still facing challenges, including xenogenous origins and variable composition. To address these issues, newly developed hydrogels become an appropriate candidate to alternate Matrigel for bone organoid culture. In this review, we summarized the development and limitations of ECM-based matrix (Matrigel) in the bone organoid cultures. Then we highlighted various hydrogel alternatives, including PEG, collagen, alginate, gelatin, chitosan, skin fibroin, and DNA derivative hydrogels, which have shown a promising application in bone tissue engineering and organoid cultures. Additionally, the effects of material properties (stiffness, viscoelasticity, charge, et al.) in hydrogels on cell culture and bone organoid culture were deeply investigated. Finally, we predicted that hydrogel-based biomaterials have a great potential for the construction and application of bone organoids.

Key words: Hydrogels, Bone organoid, Matrigel, Extracellular matrix, Bone tissue engineering