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Polymers
Special Issues
Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications
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Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 9917

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ashveen Nand

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UNITEC Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Interests: polymeric hydrogels; controlled drug delivery; articular cartilage replacement; conducting polymers; antioxidant polymers; polymer characterization
Dr. Sudip Ray

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Interests: functional porous materials; stimuli-responsive hydrogels; surface chemistry; encapsulation technologies for biomedical application; antimicrobial activity; biopolymers; polymer blends and composites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are three-dimensional crosslinked polymeric networks capable of imbibing large amounts of water and biological fluids in the interstitial spaces between the polymer chains. They present a unique class of hydrophilic, self-supporting materials which have been considered extensively for biomedical applications. Recent focus has shifted toward stimuli-responsive or smart hydrogels, which in addition to traditional swelling/deswelling behavior, can detect prevailing external stimuli such as pH, temperature, light, ionic strength, magnetic field, etc., and respond accordingly through structural, morphological or functional changes. The stimuli-responsive character has created a niche for smart hydrogels in biomedical applications. However, this is an evolving subject and efforts are being made to better understand the stimuli-responsive mechanisms as well as fabricating smart hydrogels for specific biomedical applications.

Recognizing the importance and growing interest in smart hydrogels, we would like to invite you to contribute a short communication, full article or review to this issue, entitled: “Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications”. Smart hydrogel-based systems, ranging from natural to synthetic polymers, will be considered for this edition. Moreover, smart hydrogel synthesis, characterization, responsiveness to different stimuli, and smart hydrogel-based material fabrication for biomedical applications will be covered. This list is only indicative and by no means exhaustive, and we welcome contributions on any aspect of smart hydrogels used for biomedical applications.

Dr. Ashveen Nand
Dr. Sudip Ray
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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 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

  • Smart hydrogel
  • Stimuli-responsive
  • Scaffold
  • Drug delivery
  • Gene transfer
  • Bone replacement
  • Biomaterial
  • Biomedical application

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1904 KiB  
Article
A Thermoresponsive Chitosan/β-Glycerophosphate Hydrogel for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Critical Limb Ischaemia
by Caroline Herron, Conn L. Hastings, Clodagh Herron-Rice, Helena M. Kelly, Joanne O’Dwyer and Garry P. Duffy
Polymers 2021, 13(20), 3568; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203568 - 16 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2153
Abstract
A reduction in blood supply to any limb causes ischaemia, pain and morbidity. Critical limb ischaemia is the most serious presentation of peripheral vascular disease. One in five patients with critical limb ischaemia will die within six months of diagnosis and one in [...] Read more.
A reduction in blood supply to any limb causes ischaemia, pain and morbidity. Critical limb ischaemia is the most serious presentation of peripheral vascular disease. One in five patients with critical limb ischaemia will die within six months of diagnosis and one in three will require amputation in this time. Improving blood flow to the limb, via the administration of angiogenic agents, could relieve pain and avoid amputation. Herein, chitosan is combined with β-glycerophosphate to form a thermoresponsive formulation (chitosan/β-GP) that will flow through a syringe and needle at room temperature but will form a gel at body temperature. The chitosan/β-GP hydrogel, with or without the angiogenic molecule desferrioxamine (DFO), was injected into the mouse hind limb, following vessel ligation, to test the ability of the formulations to induce angiogenesis. The effects of the formulations were measured using laser Doppler imaging to determine limb perfusion and CD31 staining to quantify the number of blood vessels. Twenty-eight days following induction of ischaemia, the chitosan/β-GP and chitosan/β-GP + 100 µM DFO formulations had significantly (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively) improved blood flow in the ischaemic limb compared with an untreated control. Chitosan/β-GP increased vessel number by 1.7-fold in the thigh of the ischaemic limb compared with an untreated control, while chitosan/β-GP + 100 µM DFO increased vessel number 1.8-fold. Chitosan/β-GP represents a potential minimally invasive treatment for critical limb ischaemia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications)
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Review

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21 pages, 6692 KiB  
Review
A Review on Hydrogels with Photothermal Effect in Wound Healing and Bone Tissue Engineering
by Xu Zhang, Bowen Tan, Yanting Wu, Min Zhang and Jinfeng Liao
Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2100; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13132100 - 25 Jun 2021
Cited by 70 | Viewed by 7057
Abstract
Photothermal treatment (PTT) is a promising strategy to deal with multidrug-resistant bacteria infection and promote tissue regeneration. Previous studies demonstrated that hyperthermia can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria, whereas mild heat can promote cell proliferation, further accelerating wound healing and bone regeneration. [...] Read more.
Photothermal treatment (PTT) is a promising strategy to deal with multidrug-resistant bacteria infection and promote tissue regeneration. Previous studies demonstrated that hyperthermia can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria, whereas mild heat can promote cell proliferation, further accelerating wound healing and bone regeneration. Especially, hydrogels with photothermal properties could achieve remotely controlled drug release. In this review, we introduce a photothermal agent hybrid in hydrogels for a photothermal effect. We also summarize the potential mechanisms of photothermal hydrogels regarding antibacterial action, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis. Furthermore, recent developments in photothermal hydrogels in wound healing and bone regeneration applications are introduced. Finally, future application of photothermal hydrogels is discussed. Hydrogels with photothermal effects provide a new direction for wound healing and bone regeneration, and this review will give a reference for the tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications)
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