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Recent Advances of Hydrogel Materials for Biomedical Applications

A Special Issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049) belonging to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1703

Editors


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Guest Editor
Biomedical Engineering Research and Development Center, National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
Interests: functional nanoparticles; surface modifications; drug delivery; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Department de Bioquímica i Fisiologia, Secció de Fisiologia—Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII, 27-31, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
2. Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia—IN2UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: nanomaterials; biocompatibility; in vitro cytotoxicity; spheroids; selective toxicity; wound healing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels have attracted significant attention in biomedical applications owing to their unique properties, such as high water content, biocompatibility, and adjustable mechanical characteristics. Recent advancements in hydrogel materials have primarily focused on augmenting their functionality for applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing. Innovations in smart hydrogels, which respond to environmental stimuli including pH, temperature, and specific biomolecules, have facilitated controlled and localized drug release, thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy.

Furthermore, the incorporation of bioactive compounds and nanoparticles into hydrogel matrices has been demonstrated to promote cellular behaviors such as proliferation and differentiation, rendering them ideal scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Additionally, advancements in three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies have enabled the precise fabrication of hydrogels with complex structures, allowing the development of customizable biomaterials that can closely mimic the extracellular matrix.

In summary, ongoing research in hydrogel materials holds great promise for the future of personalized medicine, providing innovative solutions to complex biomedical challenges.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles and reviews. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Tze Wen Chung
Dr. Maria del Carmen Morán
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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

  • hydrogels
  • biomedical applications
  • hydrogel synthesis
  • tissue engineering
  • drug delivery systems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 7531 KB  
Article
Molecular Simulation-Guided Design of H-Bonding-Reinforced Trihydroxy-Phenolics/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Hydrogel
by Jie Chen, Ying Zhou, Yishao Wang, Fujing Huang, Fangming Zou, Shunmei He and Xianwen Song
Molecules 2026, 31(15), 2595; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31152595 - 24 Jul 2026
Viewed by 363
Abstract
Small-molecule blending is an effective strategy for improving the mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). However, the influence of structural differences among phenolics on the toughening mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we systematically investigated the reinforcing effects of three trihydroxy-phenolics (apigenin, galangin, [...] Read more.
Small-molecule blending is an effective strategy for improving the mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). However, the influence of structural differences among phenolics on the toughening mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we systematically investigated the reinforcing effects of three trihydroxy-phenolics (apigenin, galangin, and baicalein) on PVA hydrogels by combining molecular simulations with experimental validation. Molecular simulations predicted that H-bonding crosslinking between phenolics and PVA chains is the central reinforcement mechanism, and that the spatial arrangement of hydroxyl groups and the competition between intermolecular H-bonding ultimately determine the performance. Structural characterization and experimental validation showed that apigenin, owing to the dispersed spatial distribution of its three hydroxyl groups, exhibits stronger H-bonding crosslinking ability and achieves the most significant reinforcement. After a single freeze–thaw cycle, all trihydroxy-phenolics/PVA composite hydrogels exhibited markedly better mechanical properties than pure PVA hydrogels, with the following strength order: apigenin/PVA > galangin/PVA ≈ baicalein/PVA. This study provides a rapid and efficient theoretical model and a reference case for small-molecule toughened PVA hydrogels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances of Hydrogel Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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27 pages, 17979 KB  
Article
High-Resolution 3D Bioprinted Hydrogel Scaffolds Enable Sustained Intraperitoneal Cell Delivery
by Yu Zhang, Lauren E. Carlberg, Cali N. Colliver, Alain Valdivia, Morrent Thang, Caroline A. Stockwell, Jillian L. Perry and Shawn D. Hingtgen
Molecules 2026, 31(11), 1958; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111958 - 4 Jun 2026
Viewed by 656
Abstract
Intraperitoneal (I.P.) delivery of cell-based therapeutics represents a promising strategy for treating regional peritoneal diseases; however, rapid cellular clearance severely limits therapeutic durability. A critical unmet need is the development of implantable biomaterial platforms that can both mechanically integrate within the dynamic I.P. [...] Read more.
Intraperitoneal (I.P.) delivery of cell-based therapeutics represents a promising strategy for treating regional peritoneal diseases; however, rapid cellular clearance severely limits therapeutic durability. A critical unmet need is the development of implantable biomaterial platforms that can both mechanically integrate within the dynamic I.P. cavity and sustain viable cell persistence in vivo. Here, we establish a Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP)-based 3D bioprinting strategy to engineer transplantable, cell-laden hydrogel scaffolds optimized for I.P. implantation. Through systematic bioresin design, we identify a GelMA-PEGDA formulation that achieves a balance between high-resolution printability, tissue-matched mechanical characteristics (Young’s modulus 10–15 kPa), and controlled biodegradation (~75% mass loss over 14 days). The resulting constructs support sustained cell viability and proliferation for over 30 days in vitro. Importantly, in an animal study conducted in 6–8 weeks of female nude mice, in vivo I.P. implantation demonstrates a ~10-fold extension in cellular persistence compared to direct cell injection, prolonging the time to 50% signal decay from ~3 days to ~30 days, with detectable cell retention approaching two months in select animals. The platform further accommodates multiple clinically relevant cell types, including human mesenchymal stem cells and neural stem cells, highlighting its translational versatility. Collectively, this work defines key material and architectural parameters required for I.P. implantable cell therapeutics and establishes CLIP-based bioprinting as a scalable strategy for regional delivery of living therapeutics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances of Hydrogel Materials for Biomedical Applications)
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