Hydrogel: A potential therapeutic material for bone tissue engineering

Current surgical treatments and material applications are not ideal for the treatment of orthopedic clinical injuries, such as large bone defects, cartilage defects, and vascular tendon adhesions that occur after repair. With the continuous development of tissue engineering technology, hydrogels have become important medical biomaterials. Hydrogels are three-dimensional hydrophilic network structures composed of cross-linked polymer chains. They are a new kind of polymeric material for the treatment of orthopedic diseases. Hydrogels have good biocompatibility, biodegradability, drug-carrying capacity, and controllable drug release ability and are less toxic than nanoparticle carriers. They have been widely used in wound repair, guided tissue regeneration, bacteriostasis, hemostasis, postoperative adhesion prevention, drug delivery, and 3D printing. These characteristics can be used to develop a variety of treatments for different diseases. This paper focuses on the innovative progress of hydrogels in promoting and improving bone, cartilage, tendon, and soft tissue regeneration in orthopedic clinical applications. Current and prospective applications of hydrogels in the field of orthopedics are discussed herein.