Biomaterial strategies for the application of reproductive tissue engineering

Abstract

Human reproductive organs are of vital importance to the life of an individual and the reproduction of human populations. So far, traditional methods have a limited effect in recovering the function and fertility of reproductive organs and tissues. Thus, aim to replace and facilitate the regrowth of damaged or diseased tissue, various biomaterials are developed to offer hope to overcome these difficulties and help gain further research progress in reproductive tissue engineering. In this review, we focus on the biomaterials and their four main applications in reproductive tissue engineering: in vitro generation and culture of reproductive cells; development of reproductive organoids and models; in vivo transplantation of reproductive cells or tissues; and regeneration of reproductive tissue. In reproductive tissue engineering, designing biomaterials for different applications with different mechanical properties, structure, function, and microenvironment is challenging and important, and deserves more attention.

Graphical abstract

In this review, we mainly focus on the biomaterial strategies for three main applications in reproductive tissue engineering including in-vitro germ cell generation and culture, the biomaterials for repairing reproductive organs, and developing reproductive organoids.

Highlights

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  Various biomaterials have been developed and used in reproductive tissue engineering.

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  3D culture systems can lead to better cell-cell interactions for in vitro production of reproductive cells.

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  Reproductive organoids and models are formed by biomaterials to simulate the environment of natural reproductive organs.

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  Biomaterials should promote vascular regeneration and resist inflammation for in-situ reproductive tissue regeneration.