Alginate biomaterial for the treatment of myocardial infarction: Progress, translational strategies, and clinical outlook

Alginate biomaterial is widely utilized for tissue engineering and regeneration due to its biocompatibility, non-thrombogenic nature, mild and physical gelation process, and the resemblance of its hydrogel matrix texture and stiffness to that of the extracellular matrix. In this review, we describe the versatile biomedical applications of alginate, from its use as a supporting cardiac implant in patients after acute myocardial infarction (MI) to its employment as a vehicle for stem cell delivery and for the controlled delivery and presentation of multiple combinations of bioactive molecules and regenerative factors into the heart. Preclinical and first-in-man clinical trials are described in details, showing the therapeutic potential of injectable acellular alginate implants to inhibit the damaging processes after MI, leading to myocardial repair and tissue reconstruction.