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Gels
Special Issues
Smart Hydrogel for Wound Healing and Tissue Repair
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Smart Hydrogel for Wound Healing and Tissue Repair

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2751

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiayi Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 511442, China
Interests: biomaterials; hydrogel; bio-adhesion; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; 3D printing
Dr. Boguang Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: dynamic hydrogel for tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of biomaterials and tissue engineering technology has played an increasingly vital role in wound healing and tissue repair. Smart hydrogels are hydrogels that can respond to stimuli and adapt their responses based on external cues from their environments. Under external stimuli, including pH, temperature, light, the electric field and magnetic field, as well as biological and chemical stimuli, we can control various properties of the hydrogel, including its hydrophilicity, swelling ability, mechanical properties and molecule permeability; this results in controlled drug release, enhanced bio-adhesion and antibacterial properties, the promotion of cell migration and tissue regeneration, and rapid bio-signal feedback, among others. Therefore, smart hydrogels are highly promising tools for biomedical applications in wound healing and tissue repair.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the recent research advances witnessed in the application of smart hydrogels for wound healing and tissue repair, covering a wide range of research, from the design of hydrogel materials that can achieve stimuli-responsiveness, to translational and clinical research related to wound healing and tissue repair. Both original research and review articles are welcome

Prof. Dr. Xiayi Xu
Dr. Boguang Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogel
  • wound healing
  • tissue repair
  • stimuli-responsive
  • wound dressing
  • regenerative medicine
  • biomedical application
  • anti-inflammation
  • biomaterials
  • bio-adhesion

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3350 KiB  
Article
Expansion and Delivery of Human Chondrocytes on Gelatin-Based Cell Carriers
by Krishi Patel, Derya Ozhava and Yong Mao
Gels 2025, 11(3), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11030199 - 13 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 449
Abstract
Cartilage damage is common in sports injuries and cartilage-related diseases, such as degenerative joint and rheumatic disorders. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a widely used cell-based therapy for repairing cartilage damage in clinical practice. In this procedure, a patient’s chondrocytes are isolated, cultured [...] Read more.
Cartilage damage is common in sports injuries and cartilage-related diseases, such as degenerative joint and rheumatic disorders. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a widely used cell-based therapy for repairing cartilage damage in clinical practice. In this procedure, a patient’s chondrocytes are isolated, cultured in vitro to expand the cell population, and then implanted into the damaged site. However, in vitro expansion of chondrocytes on standard 2D culture surfaces leads to dedifferentiation (loss of the chondrocyte phenotype), and the delivery of detached cells has proven to be ineffective. To overcome these limitations, the matrix-assisted ACI (MACI) procedure was developed. In MACI, matrices such as hydrogels and microspheres are used as cell carriers or scaffolds to deliver expanded chondrocytes, enhancing cell viability and precision delivery. To streamline the two key steps of MACI—cell expansion and delivery—this study aims to investigate various configurations of gelatin-based hydrogels for their potential to support both cell expansion and delivery as a single step. This study evaluated gelatin microspheres (Gel MS), micronized photo-crosslinked GelMA microparticles (GelMA MP), and bulky GelMA hydrogels containing cells (GelMA HG). Cell growth, maintenance of the chondrocyte phenotype, and cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) production were assessed in pellet cultures for cells grown on/in these carriers, compared with cells cultured on tissue culture-treated polystyrene (TCP). Our results demonstrate that normal human knee articular chondrocytes exhibit robust growth on Gel MS and form aggregates enriched with glycosaminoglycan-rich ECM. Gel MS outperformed both GelMA MP and GelMA HG as a cell carrier by both supporting long-term cell growth with reduced dedifferentiation and precision delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Hydrogel for Wound Healing and Tissue Repair)
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Review

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25 pages, 2157 KiB  
Review
Hydrogels for Peripheral Nerve Repair: Emerging Materials and Therapeutic Applications
by Oana Taisescu, Venera Cristina Dinescu, Alexandra Daniela Rotaru-Zavaleanu, Andrei Gresita and Michael Hadjiargyrou
Gels 2025, 11(2), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020126 - 9 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1902
Abstract
Peripheral nerve injuries pose a significant clinical challenge due to the complex biological processes involved in nerve repair and their limited regenerative capacity. Despite advances in surgical techniques, conventional treatments, such as nerve autografts, are faced with limitations like donor site morbidity and [...] Read more.
Peripheral nerve injuries pose a significant clinical challenge due to the complex biological processes involved in nerve repair and their limited regenerative capacity. Despite advances in surgical techniques, conventional treatments, such as nerve autografts, are faced with limitations like donor site morbidity and inconsistent functional outcomes. As such, there is a growing interest in new, novel, and innovative strategies to enhance nerve regeneration. Tissue engineering/regenerative medicine and its use of biomaterials is an emerging example of an innovative strategy. Within the realm of tissue engineering, functionalized hydrogels have gained considerable attention due to their ability to mimic the extracellular matrix, support cell growth and differentiation, and even deliver bioactive molecules that can promote nerve repair. These hydrogels can be engineered to incorporate growth factors, bioactive peptides, and stem cells, creating a conducive microenvironment for cellular growth and axonal regeneration. Recent advancements in materials as well as cell biology have led to the development of sophisticated hydrogel systems, that not only provide structural support, but also actively modulate inflammation, promote cell recruitment, and stimulate neurogenesis. This review explores the potential of functionalized hydrogels for peripheral nerve repair, highlighting their composition, biofunctionalization, and mechanisms of action. A comprehensive analysis of preclinical studies provides insights into the efficacy of these hydrogels in promoting axonal growth, neuronal survival, nerve regeneration, and, ultimately, functional recovery. Thus, this review aims to illuminate the promise of functionalized hydrogels as a transformative tool in the field of peripheral nerve regeneration, bridging the gap between biological complexity and clinical feasibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Hydrogel for Wound Healing and Tissue Repair)
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