Tissue Engineering. Part B, Reviews最新文献

The female reproductive system is highly complex, making it essential for applied research and translational medicine to accurately model its intricate physiological functions or develop strategies for restoring them. However, significant structural and functional differences between human and animal models, along with the limitations of static 2D cell culture technologies, underscore the need for more dynamic and sophisticated in vitro platforms, as well as in vivo therapies. These advancements are critical for deepening our understanding of reproductive biology and supporting clinical applications. Recent advancements in additive manufacturing technology have opened new frontiers in the study of the female reproductive system. By introducing diverse preclinical models and expanding the range of potential applications, this field has reached new heights, with the rapidly evolving research paradigm reshaping the scientific landscape. This review aims to summarize the growing body of evidence surrounding bioengineering strategies, platforms, and therapies in female reproductive medicine, with the goal of advancing our understanding of female reproductive biology and providing new avenues for fertility restoration. Specifically, we will examine the historical development, technological innovations, and scientific research related to the creation of 3D-engineered tissues for reconstructing the female reproductive system.Impact StatementThis review aims to summarize the growing body of evidence surrounding bioengineering strategies, platforms, and therapies in female reproductive medicine, with the goal of advancing our understanding of female reproductive biology and providing new avenues for fertility restoration. Specifically, the historical development, technological innovations, and scientific research related to the 3D-engineered tissues for reconstructing the female reproductive system were summarized. This review would help the audience, especially bioengineers who study the female reproductive system disease, as well as obstetricians and gynecologists, understand the possible application of additive manufacturing and acquire the strategies to engineer the female reproductive system in vitro.

The main objective of this research is to systematically summarize the characteristics of keratin-based materials and their current applications in the tissue engineering field, with a particular emphasis on highlighting their unique advantages over other traditional protein-based materials (such as collagen and silk fibroin). An electronic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus was conducted, identifying publications related to keratin-based materials and their application in tissue engineering. The majority of literature was published between 2015 and 2025. The structure of keratins, which is rich in disulfide bonds, gives it unique advantages in the field of tissue engineering, such as sustainability, versatility, and controllable degradability. Future research in this area could focus on improving the brittleness of keratin, developing more stable extracting sources, such as marine-derived sources, and conducting long-term clinical trials.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease with limited treatment options. Nanomaterials have become attractive options for OA disease modification, regenerative healing, and medication administration. This study used bibliometric and knowledge mapping techniques to systematically assess the global OA-nanomaterials research landscape. Publications from 2010 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and analyzed with CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Global publication trends, country and institutional contributions, author productivity, core journals, cocited references, and keyword co-occurrence patterns were assessed. Citation bursts and dual-map overlays were further applied to explore research frontiers and interdisciplinary knowledge flow. A total of 264 publications were identified. China and the United States dominated in output and international collaboration, though South Korea showed higher citation impact. Three major knowledge clusters were identified: (A) clinical pharmacology and drug delivery, (B) OA pathogenesis and management, and (C) nanomaterials and regenerative medicine. Recent hotspots have shifted toward extracellular vesicles, mesenchymal stem cells, and gene-targeted therapies such as long noncoding RNAs (e.g., SNHG7). Citation burst analysis revealed three evolutionary stages: early drug delivery exploration, material innovations, and current precision and intelligent therapies. Research on nanomaterials in OA is rapidly expanding, with increasing interdisciplinary integration. Future breakthroughs are expected at the clinical translation frontier, where nanotechnology must bridge gaps with standardized evaluation models and patient-centered outcomes.

Corneal blindness has been a significant, in most cases, reversible cause of visual impairment worldwide due to donor deficiency and donor graft failure, which has encouraged the consideration of donor-independent techniques for regeneration. This review aims to discuss the advances in corneal organoid-based tissue engineering and its potential application in the translation to vision restoration. This review was conducted through an analysis of publications related to corneal organoids, biomaterials, bioprinting, preclinical models, and early human studies, published between 2005-2025 in Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and WHO. In vitro corneal organoids from iPSCs and ESCs have a multilayered epithelium, stroma-like extracellular matrix, and intermittent endothelial phenotypes. In animal models and in vitro, they show lineage, light transmittance, and functional analysis indicators. Printing and microfabrication work with dECM gelMA bioinks. Despite batch variation, graft-scale production, endothelial pumps, and relevant aspects of translation, such as GMP-grade production, repeatability, biosafety certification, etc. It exhibited close to physiological transparency and biomechanics in quantifying with the original cornea, and demonstrates translational potential. The use of induced pluripotent stem cells and bioengineered corneal constructs has shown good first-in-human and preclinical trials. In conclusion, it is possible to say that the corneal organoid procedures are the potential solution to lessening reliance on donors and making therapeutic modalities as personalized as possible, but they demand standardized methodologies, GMP-level upscaling, solid safety data, and clinical trials before they can be adopted widely. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the progress in iPSC-derived corneal organoids, bio printing, and the development of biomaterials, and presents their respective advancements on their way to translation into the clinical setting in the field of corneal engineering and donor-independent restoration of vision.

Atherosclerosis is the most recognized pathological basis of cardiovascular disease, and the rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque is one of the most important factors leading to the end-stage event, myocardial infarction. Nanomedicine has emerged as a stratedgy to improve the diagnositic and therapeutic efficacy. The microenvironment has attracted great interest as the target of an intelligent drug delivery system to alter the pathological process. This review summarizes microenvironment-targeted nanomedicine for diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis. The pathological processes share similar characteristics of microenvironment, including high endogenous reactive oxygen species levels, acidic pH values, and high enzyme activity. Target cell population may include endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, macrophages, and foam cells. Lesion neovascularization also represents a potent target. Nanomaterials have been applied in fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography imaging, and multimodal imaging for detecting atherosclerosis. The nanomaterial-based treatment approaches of atherosclerosis include microRNA-based therapy, photodynamic therapy, anti-inflammatory therapy, antioxidant therapy, and immunotherapy. Although nanomedicine expanded a promising avenue for more detailed diagnosis procedure and efficient treatment of atherosclerosis, the biosafety concerns still remain awaiting further investigation. The clinical application of microenvironment-targeted nanomedicine in atherosclerosis still represents a challenge.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone stimulating erythropoiesis. Over the last two decades, EPO has additionally gained attention as a therapeutic compound in plastic and reconstructive surgery. This is mainly due to its pleiotropic action profile, which promotes angiogenesis, suppresses apoptosis, and modulates inflammation, resulting in enhanced tissue regeneration. Accordingly, many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of EPO and its derivatives in the management of wound healing, flap surgery, peripheral nerve regeneration, fat grafting, and bone repair. However, for the broad clinical implementation of EPO as a therapeutic in these fields, several critical steps are yet to be taken. These include the development of standardized and safe treatment protocols and their evaluation in randomized multicenter clinical trials for the establishment of personalized, targeted therapies adapted to the specific needs of surgical patients. If this succeeds, EPO treatment may markedly improve the outcome of many different therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine and reconstructive surgery.

Dentin matrix is a natural scaffold derived from complete or partial demineralization of human or animal dentin, capable of releasing growth factors and proteins essential for tissue regeneration and repair. Recent studies have identified the dentin matrix as an exceptional scaffold for the regeneration of dental and osseous tissues, attributed to its excellent biocompatibility, advantageous mechanical properties, and capacity for chemotactic induction. A substantial body of evidence supports its efficacy in promoting the formation of dentin bridges, facilitating the regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex, enhancing de novo bone formation, and mitigating alveolar bone resorption, thereby presenting innovative therapeutic approaches for the reconstruction of oral tissues. This review categorizes dentin matrices based on the degree of demineralization into partially demineralized dentin matrix and completely demineralized dentin matrix. Furthermore, the review consolidates current advancements and outlines future directions for the application of dentin matrix in pulp-dentin complex and alveolar bone regeneration. Despite the ongoing challenges related to the establishment of standardized preparation protocols, the continuous advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine exhibit an advantageous potential for clinical application.

The dynamics of cell biology have always been an active area of research. To visualize and quantify this complex cellular process in vivo, we need optics with a high spatiotemporal resolution. The advancement in optics and image acquisition techniques has revolutionized the field of microscopy. Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy is one of the most advanced imaging tools, which offers a good spatiotemporal resolution, fast imaging, and less phototoxicity to a sample when compared with conventional microscopy techniques. Cell culture techniques have evolved from traditional two-dimensional planar cultures to three-dimensional cultures in the form of spheroids. Spheroid culture truly mimics physiological conditions due to better cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions within the spheroids. Spheroids have been extensively studied as a model for drug screening, cancer biology, and regenerative medicine. However, the opacity of the core within spheroids restricts its imaging through conventional microscopy. Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy proves to be an effective tool to overcome this problem, as it provides a suitable combination of deep penetration with an ultralow intensity of excitation light, thereby reducing the photobleaching of spheroids. Over the period of years, the light-sheet microscopy technique underwent many modifications, such as adaptive optics and the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning modules based on its design and applications. Therefore, the present review will focus on the development of the light-sheet microscopy technique, its advancements, application for spheroid imaging, and will also explore the futuristic development trajectory for this technique.

Tissue-engineered organoids hold great promise for regenerative medicine, but insufficient vascularization remains a major barrier to their functionalization and clinical translation. Effective vascular networks are essential for organoid scalability, long-term survival, and functionality. Recent research has focused on strategies such as microfluidics, 3D bioprinting, self-assembly, and smart biomaterials to reconstruct functional vasculature. However, challenges persist, including poor structural stability, functional decline, and limited clinical applicability. The concept of "vascularized homeostasis"-a dynamic balance of vascular formation and remodeling-is seen as key to sustaining long-term organoid function. This review summarizes current advances and limitations in organoid vascularization and highlights the role of homeostatic regulation in enhancing repair potential and clinical translation.

Periodontal tissue regeneration remains a major challenge in oral regenerative medicine, aiming to restore functional structures such as cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Animal models are essential for evaluating the biocompatibility and regenerative efficacy of biomaterials, elucidating repair mechanisms, and supporting clinical translation. This review systematically summarizes chronic and acute periodontal defect models, their establishment protocols, and applications, covering oral gavage, periodontal inoculation, ligature, fenestration, dehiscence, intrabony, and furcation defects. The advantages and limitations of each model are analyzed in relation to simulating pathological microenvironments, testing regenerative scaffolds, and assessing drug delivery systems, with attention to combined modeling strategies. Evaluation methods from histology and immunohistochemistry to molecular assays and omics technologies are outlined, forming a multilevel assessment framework. Integrative multiomics approaches reveal key signaling pathways and metabolic networks in regeneration, guiding biomaterial design and targeted therapy development. This review offers a comprehensive methodological reference to bridge basic research with clinical application and to optimize experimental systems.